{"id":94015,"date":"2022-06-10T19:13:22","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T19:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interac1.wpengine.com\/?post_type=content&p=94015"},"modified":"2025-05-30T17:30:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T21:30:37","slug":"power-of-community-how-this-2slgbtq-vegan-pasta-company-thrived-during-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/www.interac.ca\/en\/content\/business\/power-of-community-how-this-2slgbtq-vegan-pasta-company-thrived-during-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Power of community: How this 2SLGBTQ+ vegan pasta company thrived during the pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article is in partnership with Daily Hive<\/a> and Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic forced many businesses to pivot online<\/a> in order to stay competitive and survive. It may have also helped accelerate the shift away from cash<\/a> to digital payment methods, according to a study conducted by Interac Corp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navigating the stress of the unprecedented disruption was made more bearable for NONA Vegan<\/a> CEO Kailey Gilchrist by the \u201cdeep and meaningful connections\u201d \u2014 made via social media \u2014 with 2SLGBTQ+ business communities across North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NONA Vegan was formed in 2013, two years after the death of Kailey\u2019s Italian-born mother who was skilled in the kitchen and inspired her daughter with her vegan alfredo sauce recipe. Now, the company\u2019s five plant-based Italian sauces<\/a> \u2014 which are gluten-free kosher, non-GMO, and keto-friendly \u2014 are stocked in the refrigerator section at a leading grocery retail chain and various organic and health food stores across Canada. The company has just launched in the US (in Erewhon Market, California and Central Market, Texas) and the sauces are also available to buy online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surviving pandemic unpredictability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kailey Gilchrist got her passion for cooking Italian vegan sauces from her mom (NONA Vegan<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kailey hit the road in January 2020 and drove from Toronto to Vancouver with the aim of featuring NONA Vegan sauces at trade shows and in BC stores. When the pandemic hit in March the business \u201ctook a hit initially for quite a few months,\u201d Kailey tells Daily Hive. \u201cIt definitely made things more unpredictable business-wise\u201d with sales ebbing and flowing as shoppers fluctuated between the initial bulk buying of \u201ctoilet paper and beans and dried pasta\u201d to gradually experimenting in the kitchen as the pandemic wore on and they were forced to cook three meals a day, seven days a week from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuckily [we are] a food product, not a restaurant [and] people still needed to buy food. So it wasn\u2019t totally out of our favour,\u201d says Kailey. It took some time but eventually, NONA Vegan began experiencing \u201crandom\u201d spikes in sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was in part due to Kailey\u2019s move to online marketing and the use of influencers to generate interest and excitement about her product. She was also contacted on social media by other North American 2SLGBTQ+ business people and they supported each other with cross-promotions, social media giveaways, and donating to each other\u2019s events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entrepreneur has also benefited from her membership with Canada\u2019s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce<\/a> (CGLCC), which certified her as a diverse supplier \u2014 a credential which helps her win requests for proposals (RFP) by putting NONA Vegan on the radar of companies that are interested in diversifying their supply chain. Last year NONA Vegan won CGLCC\u2019s LGBT+ Exporter of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a CGLCC member has created \u201cdeep and meaningful connections,\u201d says Kailey, who adds, \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be [part of] that community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying your business as queer-owned is \u201creally helpful,\u201d says Kailey, who found it not only created business and networking opportunities, but also helped avoid misconceptions and \u201cawkward\u201d comments like, \u201cYou must have a really rich husband.\u201d Queer visibility \u201cdoesn\u2019t always reach the business fringes,\u201d adds Kailey, who was inspired by her CGLCC-appointed queer mentor during her participation in their Out For Business youth program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[My mentor] was the specific type of role model that I didn\u2019t know I needed until I had her,\u201d she recalls.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NONA Vegan Italian sauce range (NONA Vegan)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Another trend during the pandemic was an increased focus (and spend) on health and wellness<\/a>, with consumers wanting food to help them accomplish their wellness goals, in addition to tasting good. Kailey has noticed that \u201cpeople are a lot more health conscious now,\u201d with flexitarians a key customer base for NONA Vegan. \u201cThey\u2019re not even really necessarily vegan, [they just want] the easy, healthy meal for their whole family, their dairy-free kid and their gluten-free neighbour \u2014 everybody can come join and eat it,\u201d says Kailey, who has noticed \u201can uptick in sales\u201d in this demographic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing cash flow in a digital world<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Managing real-time cash flow has become even more crucial since the onset of the pandemic. Kailey cites the Interac<\/em> e-Transfer<\/a> platform as her go-to payment tool, adding that it\u2019s been \u201cextra helpful\u201d since March 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s been so unpredictable. So our cash flow has been super-duper tight,\u201d says Kailey. \u201cWhat I really like about Interac<\/em> e-Transfer is that I can send the money when I need to send it and know that it is coming out of my account at that moment in time, rather than sending a cheque [which] I\u2019m not sure when it\u2019s going to land, when it\u2019s going to cash, when it\u2019s going to come out, and how that\u2019s going to affect the cash flow balance account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The instant cash flow<\/a>, no wait times, and access to the money as soon as the recipient fulfills the request afforded by Interac<\/em> e-Transfer is \u201csuper important\u201d to Kailey. She has also availed of the Interac<\/em> e-Transfer for Business<\/a> feature which allows business users to increase transaction limits up to $25K (the limit available to each business is controlled by their banking provider).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about NONA Vegan and Kailey\u2019s business journey, visit her website<\/a>. If you are a 2SLGBTQ+ business or simply want to hear more about CGLCC, head to their website<\/a>. To learn more about other 2SLGBTQ+ small businesses in Canada, watch the video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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