DeeBee’s Organics founder Dionne Laslo-Baker didn’t have to convince International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan that her organic fruit freezer pops were healthy and tasty.
Sajjan was quite familiar with the product, saying his family has been snacking on the Victoria-based company’s products for years.
“My wife is a medical doctor and we have always been looking for healthy products for our kids and ourselves,” Sajjan said Wednesday after announcing $1.4 million in federal funding for DeeBee’s Organics to innovate and expand its product line.
The minister in charge of the newly formed Pacific Economic Development Canada said DeeBee’s “has found a healthy solution to Popsicles for kids” as well as adults.
Founded in Laslo-Baker’s Fairfield kitchen a decade ago, DeeBee’s now sells more than 100 million tubes of its shelf-stable freezies every year. The product is sold in most major Canadian and American grocery chains, including Costco, Kroger, Walmart and Loblaws.
Laslo-Baker said the reason the company sells at such a high velocity is because the product is shelf stable — not frozen — meaning customers take them home and put them in their home freezer. They are sold in big bins that are at room temperature in stores.
Laslo-Baker said the government’s $1.4-million investment will allow the company to hire more staff and introduce at least three new products.
Sajjan tested those products behind closed doors at Thrifty’s Island head office on Wednesday, but they won’t be revealed until a major food exposition in California in March.
The company currently employs 25 people, including five in the U.S., among them former Clif Bar executive Brian Braden.
Laslo-Baker, who holds a PhD in medical science with a focus on maternal-fetal toxicology, developed her first product — called Teapops — with doctor-husband Stephen Baker as a healthier warm-day snack for themselves and their two children almost 10 years ago.
In 2016, Loblaws approached them with the idea of fruit-based, shelf-stable freezies — and the business took off.
“Loblaws sold in three weeks what would have otherwise taken a year,” she said.
Since then, the major grocers have piled on, seeing a hole in the market for healthier frozen treats, and giving DeeBee’s about $30 million in gross revenue a year.
DeeBee’s organic fruit snacks, branded as SuperFruit Freezies, are sold in about 15,000 retail stores across North America.
The new federal funding will help to market the products into Europe and other areas around the globe and generate “tens of millions in revenue growth,” said Laslo-Baker.
Sajjan also announced support for two other Greater Victoria companies.
Codename Entertainment Inc. is receiving $1.35 million through Pacific Economic Development Canada’s business scale-up program.
The video-game studio has produced highly successful games, including the officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, which is available on platforms including Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox and PlayStation.
With the funding, Codename wants to reach new international markets by translating Idle Champions into 10 more languages. The company expects to increase its workforce by 25% and generate millions of dollars in additional sales.
CEO Eric Jordan said the funding “will allow us to compete in new global markets and unlock significant revenue growth.”
Peloton Technologies, Inc., which offers a cloud-based payment platform that allows customers to consolidate banking and payment activity in a single portal, will receive $500,000 in funding.
The company plans to expand its client base by marketing its services to those looking to switch from paper-based transactions to streamlined digital payments.
Federal funding will help create up to 12 new jobs and millions in revenue growth, said CEO Craig Attiwill.
