In this episode of Recipes for Success, we sit down with Red Seal Chef Sarah Bennetto O’Brien, founder of The Handpie Company, makers of chef-crafted, savory personal handpies that bring quality, local ingredients, and real flavor to Atlantic Canada’s frozen food aisles.

Launched in 2017 with a mission to create grab-and-go meals that don’t compromise on taste or integrity, The Handpie Company uses real butter, Island beef, potatoes, and more. Every pie is chef-made in a CFIA-licensed production facility, ensuring consistent quality in every bite.

Sarah shares how she turned a love of local ingredients into a thriving brand, navigating challenges like scaling artisan quality for the freezer aisle, maintaining local sourcing, and expanding into new retail channels. Today, their products are stocked in over 100 locations throughout the Maritimes, including grocery frozen food aisles, cafés, and taprooms.

We also dive into the early “pie in the sky” idea, the leap from café menus to owning their name and space, and how the team has stayed true to their core values, chef-made, locally sourced, and convenience without compromise.

This conversation is about more than pies, it’s about building a local food brand with community, blending taste and integrity, and pushing the boundaries of what a frozen product can be.

Website: https://www.handpie.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehandpieco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehandpieco/

If you like what you heard leave us a comment or a review and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

If you would like to be on the show, send us an email :

peter@skufood.com or susan@skufood.com

Keep informed and up to date about the latest news in the food industry, and follow us on social media:

• Join our weekly SKUFood newsletter
• Connect with Peter on LinkedIn
• Follow us on Instagram

Thanks for listening!

In this episode of SKUFood Recipes for Success, we sit down with Tom, the driving force behind Healthy Berries Ltd. and the vision behind Superfruit Purée.

With over 40 years in the food industry, Tom’s leadership philosophy is simple yet powerful: give people the targets and tools they need—and then trust them to succeed. That mindset has helped him build a passionate team dedicated not only to innovation but also to keeping the business focused on long-term profitability.

We explore the journey of Superfruit Purée, a unique product made from wild blueberries using patented technology that preserves the whole fruit—peel, seeds, pulp, and all. Alongside developing their own brand, Healthy Berries has also expanded into co-packing, helping other food businesses grow while building a stronger and more resilient operation themselves.

Tom also shares what it was like to step into the national spotlight on Dragon’s Den, pitching Superfruit Purée to a panel of investors, and how that experience impacted their business.

This conversation is about more than just berries, it’s about leadership, innovation, profitability, and the courage to put your business on the line in front of the Dragons.

Website: https://www.superfruitpuree.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superfruitpureecan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superfruitpureecan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superfruitpureeCAN/

If you like what you heard leave us a comment or a review and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

If you would like to be on the show, send us an email :

peter@skufood.com or susan@skufood.com

Keep informed and up to date about the latest news in the food industry, and follow us on social media:

• Join our weekly SKUFood newsletter
• Connect with Peter on LinkedIn
• Follow us on Instagram

Thanks for listening!

In this episode of Recipes for Success, we sit down with Joshua Counsil, engineer-turned-entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and co-founder of Good Robot Brewing and The Beverage Factory.

Raised by murder mystery dinner theatre owners, Joshua brings a unique blend of creativity, strategy, and storytelling to the world of food and beverage. In 2014, he and his friends left behind their engineering careers to launch Good Robot Brewing, a quirky brewpub in the North End of Halifax that has since grown into three award-winning hospitality venues and a wholesale brand recognized across Canada.

Most recently, Joshua and his partners opened The Beverage Factory, a $6.5M co-manufacturing facility producing everything from wine to energy drinks for dozens of Atlantic Canadian companies.

In this conversation, Joshua shares his insights on building businesses that balance community, creativity, and scale. From the leap of faith that started it all to the complexities of launching a large-scale production facility, this episode offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs who want to grow while staying true to their roots.

If you like what you heard leave us a comment or a review and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

If you would like to be on the show, send us an email :

peter@skufood.com or susan@skufood.com

Keep informed and up to date about the latest news in the food industry, and follow us on social media:

• Join our weekly SKUFood newsletter
• Connect with Peter on LinkedIn
• Follow us on Instagram

Thanks for listening!