Is Bill C-293 Canada's Vegan Act, More Supply Chain Turmoil, Body Cams and special guest Andrew Andriano, Founder and CEO of Flourish

In this episode of the Food Professor Podcast, our special guest is Andrew Andriano, the founder and CEO of Flourish, who has reimagined breakfast despite, or as a result of, a challenging start to his career. Michael is tuning in from the RevTech Accelerator summit in Dallas and brings the perspective of what people are talking about here in the U.S. in the food industry, avian flu and the rising cost of eggs, with some states seeing egg prices surge over 100%. The episode also touches on food supply issues due to labour disruptions, including potential banana shortages and strikes at critical ports in the U.S. and Canada. We also explore the real-world repercussions of Bill C-293, passed through parliament now in front of the Senate, which Sylvain wonders if it is better known as Canada's 'Vegan Act.' We also discuss disruptions' effects on food retailers, food banks, and restaurants, and Sylvain's op-ed "Feasts and Famine."

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/charlebois-is-bill-c-293-canadas-vegan-act

 

About Andrew

In 2018, Andrew Andriano was just 23 years old. He’d dropped out of university and had declined to enter his father’s business. With a future that would put most young adults into a tailspin, Andrew’s resilience and entrepreneurship began to shine through. 

His journey began with precarious housing and lots of toaster waffles smothered in sugary spreads. With late nights and early mornings, he soon realized that his sugar laden start to the day wasn’t setting him up for success. 

Tired of feeling sluggish and constantly hungry, Andriano reached out to his brother, Peter, a chef who had the capabilities to create a breakfast option that wasn’t frozen or from a box. 

After many trials and errors, they came up with the perfect pancake recipe: high in protein, high in fibre and high in flavour, but minus the sugar. 

Since then, Flourish has gone on to serve more than two million pancakes to North Americans. With a mission to fuel progress with high-protein, low-sugar foods that taste flippin’ delicious, Andrew and his team make breakfasts that deliver a daily dose of enjoyment and pack a serious nutritional punch. 

Backed by Arlene Dickinson, of Dragon’s Den, Flourish is on track to be a $18 million dollar business within the next twelve months, and was named the fastest growing CPG company in Canada, by the Globe and Mail in 2022 and 2023. 

Not only has the Flourish team built a business which is outpacing category growth and is Canada’s leading better-for-you pancake mix, it has also built a social media following with over 51,000 followers. 

Flourish, a team of only 9, is now focused on aggressively acquiring new users and creating new eating occasions across the United States and Canada. Flourish is determined to transform breakfast categories with low-sugar, high protein solutions. 

Flourish has been able to attract top talent from organizations such as Coca-Cola, Deloitte and Kraft Heinz. He has created a close-knit culture of colleagues who also consider themselves friends, and each are as committed to the success and mission of the business as Andrew. 

2024 has already been an important year for the Flourish family, with a rebrand, a recipe enhancement, flavour extensions and the launch of the new Mug Cakes. 

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.

Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. 

He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. 

Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.

With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues.

 Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.