Friends of Feadies

In Episode 50 of Friends of FEADies, Lindsay Toth sits down with Sviatlana Martynenka, co-founder of SirGora, to talk about building a business not once, but twice.

Sviatlana's entrepreneurial journey began in Ukraine, where she turned a passion for cheesemaking into a thriving creamery. Starting with just three litres of milk a week on her kitchen counter, she eventually grew the business to process 1,000 litres weekly and produce more than 20 varieties of artisan cheese.

Then came a completely new chapter: moving to Canada and building again.

Sviatlana shares what it was like to go from an established entrepreneur to navigating a new country and market, what knowledge and experience came with her, and what she still had to learn from scratch. She also takes us behind the creation of SirGora and its distinctive cheese-infused chocolate truffles, combining her deep expertise in cheesemaking with an entirely new product and market.

Together, we talk about resilience, reinvention, introducing consumers to something they've never tried before, and why starting over doesn't mean starting from zero.

It's a conversation about the experience you carry with you, the courage to build again, and finding new possibilities in an unexpected next chapter.

What happens when years of experience and success are followed by becoming a beginner again? In this episode of Friends of FEADies, Lindsay sits down with Natasha Chawla, founder of Greens & Beans, for a conversation about the identity shift that comes with entrepreneurship. After building a successful corporate career, Natasha found that becoming a founder required more than business strategy and experience. It challenged how she thought about success, failure, leadership, and even herself. Together, they explore why Natasha believes emotional intelligence is just as important as strategy, the unexpected lessons she's carried from motherhood into business, and the difference between focusing on winning and learning how to compete well. Natasha also opens up about the traits entrepreneurship has brought to the surface, including courage, resilience, and learning to operate with zero ego, as well as the vulnerabilities that come with building something of your own: fear of failure, uncertainty, and the pressure of living up to your own expectations. This is a conversation about more than building Greens & Beans. It's about what happens when entrepreneurship asks you to become someone new.

In this special live episode of Friends of FEADies, recorded during Saskatoon Startup Week, Lindsay Toth hosts Startup Stories on Tap, featuring Cassy Appelt (LGCY Innovation Hub), Barb Stefanyshyn-Côté (Black Fox Farm and Distillery), and Natasha D'Cruze (Seb's Soda Co.).

The panel explores the realities of entrepreneurship, including leadership, resilience, risk-taking, decision-making, business growth, and the lessons learned while building successful companies. Whether you're launching your first business or growing an established one, you'll gain valuable insights from experienced founders who share the honest stories behind their entrepreneurial journeys.

In this episode of Friends of FEADies, Lindsay Toth sits down with Prabha Mattappally, founder and CEO of Bhalla Protein, to discuss how a personal frustration with the snack aisle evolved into a food business.

Prabha shares the story behind Bhalla Protein and the realization that many consumers are forced to choose between nutrition and enjoyment when it comes to convenient snacks. Determined to create a better option, she set out to develop a protein and fibre-rich donut that could deliver both.

The conversation explores the journey from idea to product, the challenges of product development, and the lessons learned from putting an early concept in front of real customers. Prabha reflects on how customer feedback shaped the business, what surprised her most about entrepreneurship, and how her vision has evolved since launching the company.

Together, Lindsay and Prabha discuss the importance of solving real problems, building products people genuinely want, and staying connected to the mission behind the business.

Whether you're a food entrepreneur, a founder developing your first product, or someone sitting on an idea you've been afraid to pursue, this episode is a reminder that some of the best businesses begin with a simple question:

"Why doesn't this exist?"

In this episode of the Friends of FEADies Podcast, Lindsay brings you a live conversation from Table Talk 6.0, FEAD’s mini-conference for food founders and leaders.

This session, “Beyond the Recipe: Building Sustainable Food Businesses,” features Laurie Rowe of Jordan Ridge Sauces and Katie Merchant of The Honey Merchants.

Together, they share honest insights on what it really takes to build a food business beyond just the product. From early growth to ongoing challenges, this conversation explores the decisions, realities, and mindset required to build something sustainable long term.

Lindsay introduces the session, and Nafisa Mahabub leads the conversation, guiding a thoughtful discussion filled with practical takeaways for food entrepreneurs.

If you’re building a food business or thinking about starting one, this episode offers real-world perspective you can learn from.

In this episode of Friends of FEADies, Lindsay Toth sits down with Ashlyn Newlove, founder of SmartSip, for a one-year check-in on building a food business in Canada.

From early-stage development to 24 retail locations and over $200K in sales, Ashlyn shares the realities of scaling a CPG brand, including retail expansion, product development, and navigating distribution. This episode explores what growth actually looks like behind the scenes and the mindset required to keep moving forward.

In this episode of Friends of FEADies, Lindsay Toth sits down with Nuala Bobowski, food scientist and co-founder of Fromage Protein Pops, to talk about the journey from research to retail and the mindset shifts that come with building a food business.

 

Nuala shares how her background in food science shaped the early development of the product, but also why technical expertise alone isn’t enough to succeed in the marketplace. The conversation also explores Nuala’s experience in the Seed to Scale Accelerator, where refining her message and pitch ultimately led to winning Best Overall Pitch.

 

Whether you’re a scientist, product developer, or founder navigating your own transition into entrepreneurship, this episode offers honest insights into what it really takes to turn expertise into a growing food brand.

In this episode of Friends of FEADies, Nafisa Mahabub shares her journey into supporting food entrepreneurs and the experiences that shaped her passion for helping founders succeed. Drawing from her work inside accelerator programs, Nafisa discusses the real challenges entrepreneurs face, from making decisions in isolation to navigating financial clarity and investment readiness.

Together, we explore why community is one of the most powerful tools for sustainable growth, how feedback drives stronger businesses, and what separates founders who build momentum from those who stay stuck. Whether you are launching your first product or preparing to scale, this conversation offers practical insight and reassurance that you don’t have to build your business alone.