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PODCAST

This Commerce Life

Phil Chang / Kenny Vannucci

A Canadian Podcast, focused on Canadian brands, determined to talk about Canadian success stories. We are retail educators and experts, teaching Canadian businesses how to build, grow, and scale in retail. As industry connectors, Kenny & Phil bring decades of experience as buyers, sales strategists, and marketers into delivering practical, actionable education grounded in real-world application.

business marketing

All Episodes

00:56:55

From Canoes to Continents: Canada's Wild Rice Legacy...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/03/03

What do the Canadian Shield, a fourth-generation family business, and a trade show floor in Germany have in common? Wild rice — and one of the most remarkable food origin stories you've never heard.In this episode of This Commerce Life, Phil Chang and Kenny Vannucci sit down with Matt Ratuski, fourth-generation owner of Floating Leaf Fine Foods, whose family has been harvesting Canadian wild rice since 1935. From his great-grandfather trading fish with First Nations communities in Keewatin,

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00:58:14

Brewery to Bubbles: How Diana of Callister Soda...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/02/24

What do you do when the soda you started making to complement your craft brewery ends up outgrowing the brewery itself? That's exactly what happened to Diana, co-founder of Callister Soda. In this episode, Diana walks us through her unlikely journey — from office worker dreaming of a sustainable farm, to opening Callister Brewing in Vancouver in 2015, to hand-capping bottles and hand-seaming cans as her natural soda line quietly took on a life of its own. She shares the hard lessons of navigating

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00:54:59

From Istanbul to Grocery Aisles: Arda and the...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/02/17

From Istanbul to Grocery Aisles: Arda and the Hummzies StoryIn this episode, Kenny and Phil sit down with Arda, the founder of Hummzies — a hummus-based, chickpea snack that's quickly gaining traction across Canadian retail shelves. Arda shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Istanbul, where a bombing near his high school prompted his family to send him to Canada at just 16 years old, to studying political science at the University of Toronto, and eventually finding his passion in the food

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00:59:26

Corporate Marketing to Pasta Sauce | Natasha Chawla,...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/02/10

Natasha Chawla spent 25+ years in the corporate world working on brands like Coca-Cola and Unilever before launching Greens&Beans — a line of vegetable-packed, allergen-free pasta sauces born from her own kitchen.What started as a mom's mission to feed her allergy-prone, hockey-playing son healthy meals turned into a full-fledged CPG brand now landing on shelves across British Columbia and beyond.In this episode, Natasha shares the real journey: the R&D nightmare of scaling from 10 litres to 300

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01:09:22

From Rescue Horses to Retail: Building Topline Feed...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/02/03

When Vikki decided to rescue horses with no teeth, she didn't realize it would lead to opening a thriving feed and farm supply business. In this episode, Vikki and her husband Rob share how Topline Feed and Farm Supply started as a way to "supplement the horses" and evolved into a community hub in Tavistock, Ontario. From navigating the challenges of rural retail and competing with big-box stores to giving back through hospice visits and youth programs, this Ontario Made award-nominated business

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01:05:10

From Salt Spring Island to Small-Town Retail: Angela...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/01/27

From Salt Spring Island to Small-Town Retail: Angela Donnelly on Running Raise the Root Organic MarketAngela Donnelly, founder of Raise the Root Organic Market in Caledon, Ontario, shares her journey from working on her parents' mobile produce truck on Salt Spring Island to opening her own natural foods store. Angela talks about learning the produce business at Vancouver's terminal markets, the transition from hippie back-to-the-landers to strategic retailer, and the harsh realities of competing

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00:58:36

From Zero Research to 175 Stores: Building Peak...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/01/20

Andrew Warburton from Peak Beverage Co. joins Phil and Kenny to share his journey building a premium fruit soda brand in BC's competitive beverage market. From launching with minimal research to now being in 175+ stores across Western Canada, Andrew opens up about the realities of scaling a local CPG brand.In this conversation, you'll hear about Peak's channel strategy—why food service and wineries have been their sweet spot, how Amazon opened up eastern markets without expensive direct-to-consumer

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01:05:43

Building Canada's Next Generation of Retail Leaders...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/01/13

Building Canada's Next Generation of Retail Leaders with Dr. Janice RudkowskiEver wonder where retail professionals actually learn their craft? Dr. Janice Rudkowski from Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Retail Management joins Phil and Kenny to discuss Canada's only undergraduate degree program dedicated exclusively to retail education. From merchandise planning and supply chain logistics to experiential learning with industry partners, Janice reveals how TMU is preparing students for

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00:59:29

Challenge to Success: How Market 49 Fine Foods is...

This Commerce Life ·

2026/01/06

Bryan from Market 49 Fine Foods joins Phil and Kenny to share the story of how a COVID-era side hustle for bored chefs turned into a thriving frozen meal business that's redefining quality in the freezer aisle.What started as cooking for friends and family who couldn't or wouldn't cook has grown into a multi-location operation across BC's Lower Mainland. Bryan opens up about his culinary journey that began out of challenge (pushing back against his mom's lunches as a kid), his 100+ years of combined

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00:57:33

From Quebec Grains to World-Class Spirits: The...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/12/30

From Quebec Grains to World-Class Spirits: The Dunrobin Distilleries StoryAdrian from Dunrobin Distilleries joins Phil and Kenny to share the fascinating journey of building one of Eastern Ontario's premier craft distilleries. Located halfway between Ottawa and Montreal, Dunrobin has carved out a unique position in Canadian spirits by sourcing local Quebec grains and building a vertically integrated operation from farming to finished product. Find Adrian

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00:58:11

The Business of Boxes: Inside Commercial Packaging...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/12/23

James Rowley of Glenmore Printing pulls back the curtain on the commercial packaging industry, revealing how commodity price volatility, tariff uncertainty, and consolidation are reshaping the business. James shares his philosophy on being a true partner to food brands—absorbing cost pressures, providing strategic guidance beyond just printing boxes, and helping smaller players navigate market opportunities. Find James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-rowley-8800ab15/Check out the studio

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01:00:51

We catch up with Sonia Strobel, Co-Founder & CEO Of...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/12/16

We catch up with Sonia Strobel, Co-Founder & CEO Of Skipper Otto - Canada's Largest Community-Supported FisherySkipper Otto has cracked the code on sustainable, traceable seafood in Canada. Co-founder and CEO Sonia Strobel joins us to share how their community-supported fishery model has grown to serve 8,000 members across the country—and why they finally made the leap into home delivery. In this conversation, Sonia walks us through the careful, deliberate expansion that's defined Skipper Otto's

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00:53:28

Mushroom Gummies and Market Strategy: How Mycelyum is...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/12/09

We sit down with Joy Dutcher, co-founder of Mycelyum, to explore how she turned a personal journey with ADHD and functional mushrooms into an innovative Canadian wellness brand. Joy shares the origin story of discovering lion's mane and chaga mushrooms through her partner Jimmy's background in traditional Chinese medicine, and why they chose the gummy format over powders and capsules. Check out Mycelyum here: https://mycelyum.com/Find Joy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joydutcher/Thank you to

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00:52:28

Not Too Sweet: Building a Better-For-You Beverage...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/12/02

Elaine and Cam, the founders behind Not Too Sweet Drinks, join Phil and Kenny to share their journey of creating a sparkling beverage brand that's actually not too sweet. Recording from Phil's car during CHFA prep with special guests Lara and Christine from Munching on Molecules, this episode captures the authentic story of Vancouver Island entrepreneurs who are redefining the sparkling drink category.From their backgrounds in engineering and graphic design to launching a beverage company during a

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00:53:17

From Corporate to Coach: Sarah Kinlin's Journey of...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/11/25

Sarah Kinlin returns to This Commerce Life two and a half years after her first appearance, and the transformation is remarkable. What started as a tentative step toward professional speaking has evolved into a thriving business as a mindset and leadership coach, author, and professional hockey coach.In this heartfelt conversation, Sarah shares her journey from leaving Johnson & Johnson to building a multi-faceted career centered on helping others go from tired and overwhelmed to rested and focused

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01:00:11

Shannon & Sarah: Two "Sisters" Building a Smarter...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/11/18

Shannon and Sarah, Naturopathic Doctors from Guelph, Ontario, are reimagining homeopathy for modern retail. In this episode, they share how they're solving the complexity problem in the homeopathy category by offering curated kits instead of overwhelming individual SKUs. They discuss their journey from festivals to CHFA, their strategic approach to pricing, navigating Health Canada regulations, and why their next move might be Europe or Asia before conquering traditional Canadian pharmacy chains

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00:50:09

Breaking Into Canadian Retail with Simran Kaur

This Commerce Life ·

2025/11/11

Join Phil and Kenny as they hit the road with Simran Kaur, Sales Manager for Western Canada at Chiba Organics, for an unfiltered conversation about navigating the Canadian CPG and retail landscape.From her start handling national accounts for McDonald's and Starbucks at Zomato in Delhi to building relationships with independent grocers across Western Canada, Simran shares hard-earned wisdom about what it really takes to succeed in this business. Recorded on a marathon road trip, this episode dives

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00:55:51

Eye-Friendly Beauty: How an Optometrist is...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/11/04

What if your makeup routine is secretly harming your eye health? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nieka Sabeti, a practicing optometrist and founder of CHESHMA, a groundbreaking line of eye-friendly cosmetics. After countless patients broke down in her exam room—struggling with dry eye disease caused by cosmetics and feeling they had to choose between their appearance and their eye health—Dr. Neeka had a middle-of-the-night revelation that changed everything.Discover why most cosmetics aren't

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01:05:12

Knucklehead Interviews

This Commerce Life ·

2025/10/28

The Knuckleheads talk to each other. Two retail veterans with a combined 50+ years of experience sit down for honest conversations about Canadian business, brands, and the challenges facing small and medium-sized companies. We talk to each other about where we come from and how we got here. Kenny, it turns out, was always pretty linear. Phil, has nothing linear about his career at all. Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring our podcast. https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/

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00:50:10

From Crisis to Creation: How Lupus and Scleroderma...

This Commerce Life ·

2025/10/21

When Nana Daniels returned from a trip to Ghana in 2016, she experienced a severe lupus flare-up that left her skin severely burned. What happened next changed her life forever.After seven hours in the emergency room with no real solution, Nana turned to her Ghanaian roots and created her own remedy using raw shea butter, vitamin E, and essential oils. The results were so remarkable that friends started asking for their own supply—and Honam Naturals was born.In this inspiring episode, Nana

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115 results

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