Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Francoise Briet, Owner of Malty & Hoppy Delicacy, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Malty & Hoppy Delicacy is a Toronto-based company that uses beer from the best local breweries in Ontario to make delicious beer jellies with a French twist. We are currently offering seven year-round flavours (Pale Ale, Scottish, Imperial IPA, Amber Ale, Oatmeal Brown Ale, Smoked Porter, Imperial Russian Stout), a specialty beer jelly - Black Garlic and Dark Ale as well as a limited edition set of four mini beer jellies where I featured regularly original craft beer flavours from different breweries (like a dark lager made with oyster...Yes!). Soon we will launch our new specialty beer jelly - Spicy Sour, made with a fantastic flavourful strawberry hibiscus sour. This is going to be an excellent product.

Our beer jellies are vegan, low in sugar, and full of flavours. We are "the Beer You Can Eat." Our beer jellies are the perfect pairing for your cheese and charcuterie board. It is also excellent on your toasts, croissants, and scones with Iceland yogurt for a gourmet breakfast and brunch. And you can also use it as a condiment when cooking.

My customers are primarily foodies, beer lovers... people looking for real food with many flavours or original locally handmade products. The age range goes from 7 to 90+ years old - 60% females/40 % males. I am always amazed when young people discover for the first time the complexity of local craft beer in my products. The expression on their face is what makes me continue to create a fantastic Canadian "Produit du Terroir."

Tell us about yourself

I am French, and now I live in Toronto. I am an entrepreneur, a private chef, and a culinary educator. I have a Ph.D. in nutrition. I was involved in clinical research in metabolic nutrition for decades before changing my career path. I worked in international development in Haiti, Ghana, and Ethiopia, where amazing entrepreneurs inspired me in the food security sector. Then I decided to start my own company and went to business school. I was also a professional chef working for the French consul in Toronto for four years. My life story makes me who I am.

I am originally from Beaune in Burgundy - one of the best-known regions in the world for producing elegant wines. Burgundy is also famous for mustard, local alcohol like black currant liqueur, Kir (the Burgundy cocktail), Ratafia (a mixture of Marc de Bourgogne and grape must), and exquisite gastronomy. Beef Bourguignon is now an international classic, elevated by Julia Child into an art form. Burgundy inspired me to explore the art of pairing food with alcohol. I was thoroughly surprised that beer pairs well with various foods, including cheese.

"When I discovered that beer pairs well with cheese, dare I say better than red wine, it was a revelation for a French girl who grew up in Burgundy. That was the beginning of a new adventure for me! This delightful realization gave birth to Malty & Hoppy Delicacy. Our mandate is to capture the diversity and richness of the local craft beer's flavours in our Beer Jellies to create an exquisite "Produit du Terroir." Our jellies are artisanal in the truest sense of the word. It is an expression of who we are as people in Ontario. Creating an amazing line of products, sharing my passion for real food with a lot of flavours, and initiating surprise and emotional feelings when tasting my products... this is what motivates me each day to do what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is the fact I did not, and I do not give up. I faced a challenging period of 3 years with three major emotional stresses - one after one (the suicide of my brother, a major bike accident followed by breast cancer). I restarted my company just before the COVID-19 pandemic. I could have given up. No, I took this moment as an opportunity to rethink my company and consolidate the foundations for a new start. Resilience is my motto!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I will say confidence in myself. Like a lot of women, I lack confidence in myself. This comes from my education and my family farmers' environment that are valuing the son first. I was the first one in my family who went to university and had a Ph.D. Growing up as a teen and building my future as a young adult who can be independent was all-time against my family's wishes. It took me years to understand that I was a smart and valuable woman. Confidence is one of the major challenges that come with being a business owner, mostly because you are the one who takes the decisions and gets credit for the successes as well as the failures.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Be yourself; you are amazing!
  2. Stand for your vision, mission, and values. Listen to others; it might be a good idea or a piece of great advice. However, at the end of the day, you are in charge, you know what you want to achieve, and you need to be authentic. People are looking for authenticity.
  3. Don't be afraid of failure and challenges. Sometimes, it is a good thing (yes, I am saying it), and you can learn so much from failure and challenges. A unique way to grow and be stronger.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.maltyandhoppydelicacy.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maltyandhoppydelicacy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maltyandhoppydelicacy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoisebriet/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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