Smokin Jon's BBQ: Summer SIAL Food Innovation Show Bonus Episode

In this special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor Podcast, host Michael LeBlanc brings listeners straight to the SIAL Food Innovation Show floor for a flavorful conversation with Chef Jonathan Maters, co-founder of Smokin Jon’s BBQ & Company. Born in Newfoundland and based in New Brunswick, Jonathan shares how a pandemic-era pivot turned his passion for barbecue into a growing food enterprise capturing the attention of retailers and food lovers alike.

Jonathan walks us through his culinary roots, detailing how he started with a single signature sauce—Smoky Maple—bottled and sold from his backyard deck. With demand quickly outpacing his capacity, he moved into Class 5 kitchens and later secured a co-packing partner to scale his product line. Now, with a robust lineup of unique, clean-label barbecue sauces, hot sauces, and spice rubs, Smokin’ Jon’s is turning heads across Canada.

From the Cuban-inspired Cubana BBQ sauce (orange juice, cumin, and oregano!) to the fiery Carolina Reaper sauce and low-sodium, filler-free spice blends, Jonathan emphasizes innovation, authenticity, and health-conscious ingredients. He shares how packaging design and colour-coded branding help his products stand out on crowded shelves.

Jonathan also opens up about the hard realities of food entrepreneurship—from navigating CFIA and FDA regulations to the steep costs of national shelf space, and his evolving relationship with major retailers like Sobeys and Loblaws. He reflects on the role of local government support, challenges in accessing infrastructure, and the importance of marketing hustle, including a growing Instagram following built on grassroots cooking content.

Listeners will appreciate Jonathan’s frank insights on building a business from scratch, his strategic use of flavour storytelling, and his advice to fellow food entrepreneurs: “You’ll hear ten no’s for every yes—but that one yes is everything.”

This episode is packed with practical inspiration, tasty ideas, and a genuine look behind the scenes of a fast-growing Canadian food brand. Whether you're a barbecue enthusiast, aspiring food entrepreneur, or retail insider, this conversation will leave you fired up and hungry for more.

https://smokinjonsbbq.ca/

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.