Nicolette Richer hoped to win over dragons with a vegetarian spread. To see whether she returned from the experience unscathed, well you’ll have to tune onto CBC’s Drag’s Den on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The owner of The Green Moustache Organic Juice and Live Food Bar restaurant chain faced off with the fiery panel in the entrepreneur’s hot-seat television series in April. And Richer’s not giving away the ending. What the Whistler resident will say is being invited onto the show has meant more to her than simply exposure.
“Pitching to the Dragons was definitely a turning point. You have to know your numbers,” Richer said, comparing it to prepping for thesis defense. “It takes more than passion to convince these boardroom barons that an idea is worth their investment.”
Richer first opened the doors to what she dubs a “real and clean food restaurant” in 2013 in Whistler. Its success led a restaurant in Vancouver, an additional location in Whistler and, last September, a Squamish branch on Second Avenue.
Now Richer has her sight set on the province’s hospitals. She is in the process of submitting a proposal to BC Bid to allow The Green Moustache access the facilities’ cafeterias. It seems like the perfect pairing, Richer said, noting The Green Moustache is Canada’s only 100 per cent organic, plant-based fast-casual chain.
“When you are taking food to someone who is sick, you want to take them something healthy,” she said, noting the restaurants’ food is made from scratch, without fillers, refined oils, preservatives or packaging. “It is as clean as possible.”
Besides hospitals, Richer is on the way to hitting her goal of opening 50 more locations throughout the country, including university campuses. The chain’s growth is good news for organic farms, Richer noted. It takes four medium-sized organic farms to supply a single restaurant, she said.
“We are actually trying to influence the agriculture landscapes.”
Richer teamed up with BCIT students to research the organic market. What they discovered was quantity was not a concern, however there was a bottleneck between the farms and market. Richer is examining ways to ease that barrier as the company grows.
“There is enough food. There is so much food,” Richer said, noting what happens is the farmers are so busy on their land that it becomes difficult for them to find time to deliver their produce. “A lot of farmers can’t get their products to the market.”
Starting the company has been a team effort, she said. Her husband, Pierre, gave up his job as a teacher to pursue the family’s dream.
“I get to be the visionary and guide that vision,” the mother of three daughters says, adding the company currently has approximately 40 employees.
