Root Foods: healthy food and a healthy planet

Businesswoman at the head of the Montreal TPE Aliments Racine , Esthel has given everything to her project in the last three years. His family name inspired him for the branding of his company. “Racine is of course a play on words with my name, but it goes further than that,” she says. It is also a reference to the earth, to plants. Take care of yourself and the earth, pay attention to biodiversity. It only took a few minutes of telephone conversation to understand the values ​​of this vegan food company.

Dance shoes and oven mitts

Discipline, perseverance, visualization of goals, stress tolerance and creativity are acquired from Esthel's classical ballet training. “It was first of all a personal need that led me to cook allergen-free meals,” she says. I was looking on the market for suitable products for different intolerances and I was not satisfied. At the same time, I had to put an end to my ballet career following an injury. These two elements, combined with the positive comments from those around her on the good taste and quality of the products that she cooked above all for herself, prompted her to start her own business.

The entrepreneur received invaluable support from members of her family and those around her during the start-up. “My brother is an engineer, he helped me adapt the machines for my production. My father also got his hands dirty, in particular for the review of industrial processes. And my mother, who works in occupational health and safety, taught me a lot in this area. »

Diversity and simplicity

The production workshop located in Mile-End is currently hiring 3 employees. “We produce and distribute ready-to-cook foods made from organic legumes and grains,” says Esthel. In order to expand the supply of vegetable protein sources available on the market, our products are vegan, soy-free and gluten-free. We believe that a healthy diet goes through the diversity and quality of ingredients. »

Esthel tells us of her desire to expand the range of food products offered by Aliments Racine in the coming years. Among other things, it wishes to offer complete meals in order to satisfy the appetite of food-conscious consumers. “I like to point out that our products are simple, nutritious, allergen-free and offer a wide variety,” she says. We are currently awaiting organic certification. We also choose to source as locally as possible. »

In the big leagues

The vegan patties are available in more than 100 points of sale across Quebec, thanks in part to a distribution agreement with Sobeys. “This contract with a giant of the food industry in Quebec is probably my greatest pride as an entrepreneur at the moment. Esthel wants to tackle the development of the Ontario market in order to expand her distribution network in the major grocery chains.

In the past year, she has worked her way into the cohort of the Adopte Inc. movement, created by successful entrepreneurs Nicolas Duvernois and Anne Marcotte, which aims to offer support over a period of one year, from mentoring to business and training. Although the businesswoman admits that it is sometimes difficult to juggle all the aspects of the business and to prioritize the actions to be taken to move the project forward, she now has the reflex to surround herself with people who can develop her and her business to achieve her goals.

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Reviewed by Sandrine