A Cochrane business has been selected as a cohort to be mentored by former CBC dragon Arlene Dickinson’s District Ventures.
Real Treat, a Cochrane-based kitchen owned by Jacqueline Day, specializes in certified organic baked treats and was chosen to take part in a six-month mentorship program with “Canada’s first accelerator for packaged goods companies.”
One of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs and former star on CBC’s hit show Dragon’s Den, Dickinson has now turned her sights on growing entrepreneurism in Canada – which is why she formed District Ventures.
“Until District Ventures, there was not an accelerator in Canada that focused on consumer packaged goods. Arlene Dickinson created this accelerator with an even more specific focus on food and drink and health and wellness,” Day explained.
Day’s journey to this point began right here in town in the summer of 2014.
“When I was still recipe testing and trying to figure out if I was actually going to take the leap and quit my job and follow my heart, before I made that decision, I sold my first cookie at the Cochrane Farmer’s Market,” Day explained.
Since then, she has opened her kitchen in Cochrane and sells her products in various locations within Alberta, BC, and Ontario.
“Right now our products are cookies, but that’s just the entry point – there are other products coming,” Day explained.
Day prides herself on using mostly locally-ingredients in her recipes, with the exception of chocolate and sugar. She hopes her participation with District Ventures will take her company to the next level.
“What the program exists to do is to accelerate the growth of the business. It achieves that by pairing each of the 12 companies in the cohort with an industry-based mentor. So it will be entrepreneurs who have already built successful companies within our sector who can provide really meaningful guidance as I every day have to face decisions in my business,” Day said.
Aside from having access to advice from successful entrepreneurs, Day said there is another aspect to her participation in the program.
“Through this mentorship, and through all of the connections through the industry, we’ll get introduced to national and international distributors and large retailers. Then at the end of the six months, we will do a pitch in a room full of venture capitalists, banks, distribution companies, large scale and small scale retailers,” Day explained.
On May 2, Day attended a gala with the other cohort members, which was essentially a graduation ceremony for previous participants. At this event, she was able to hear other companies’ pitches to kick off her learning process.
“It was a phenomenal experience – it was a great learning experience and also very inspiring. I was sitting their making notes for things I was inspired to do in my own pitch six months from now. Then following their pitches, the new cohorts had an opportunity to have their products on display,” Day said.
Day, who said she is anxious to get started, will be assigned her mentor over the next few weeks, a process she hopes will go by quickly.
To try some Real Treat cookies, Cochrane customers can visit Sunnyside Natural Market in Kensington in Calgary or visit realtreat.ca to find other store locations.
