☑Nutrients ☑Flavour ☑Colour.
Sea buckthorn checked all the boxes for Evive Smoothies.
Evive’s journey began within months of my beginnings with Omega Fruit. After finishing university, the co-founders, Dominic and Claudia, began developing their innovative brand of ready-made smoothie cubes. A dynamic couple determined to slice out a space for themselves in the healthy foods industry. Claudia was among the first to believe in me and the new super fruit I was bringing to market. After a lovely first meeting and some product testing, I received the news that my seaberries would be part of the new Touk-Touk smoothie that Evive was launching as part of their first flavours.
I was thrilled! -and was immediately convinced these two young entrepreneurs would be a huge hit with their innovative ready-made smoothies. As soon as I began seeing the first Touk-Touk in my local stores, I grabbed a bag, and it quickly became my Go-To daily smoothie. These days, I am seeking out the Sunrize as the colour and flavours are so terrifically delicious & bright -it has become my happy place.
And now, more than eight years later, Claudia and Dominic have appeared -and struck a deal with a dragon on a popular reality television show. They are married, proud parents and successful entrepreneurs continuing to thrive in their chosen endeavour. They have kept the “eye of the tiger” through a start-up’s regular ups and downs to become a widely popular Brand spanning two countries. I am grateful that I have been able to support them in my small way in this journey by providing them with fair pricing, quality product that meets worldwide safety standards, and attentive service.
To provide an insider’s perspective of this great Canadian Brand and their opinion of sea buckthorn berries, I sent a quick questionnaire to the R&D team at Evive. Here is what they had to say;
Tell us a little bit about the history of Evive.
Evive is the Brand of ready-to-create food and beverage solutions that unlocks the possibility to fit healthier eating into your life. Founded in 2015 by a young and innovative couple, Claudia Poulin and Dominic Dubé reinvented the wheel by packing nutritious and delicious ingredients into a set of small frozen cubes. Evive’s best-selling smoothies are made with fruits, veggies, superfoods and plant-based protein so you don’t have to worry about your morning breakfast or afternoon snack. Simply add your liquid of choice and prep with or without a blender – the choice is yours!
What inspired Claudia to add sea buckthorn to Evive’s first products? Was she looking for specific properties, or was there a growing demand from consumers for products containing sea buckthorn?
Claudia created our first-ever smoothie recipes herself in her parent’s kitchen. Incorporating superfoods, such as sea buckthorn, was always important due to their particularly rich supply of nutrients. At Evive, our recipes are carefully formulated with the addition of superfoods to help support your daily wellness. To learn more, visit our Superfoods 101 page.
What products do you currently use sea buckthorn in?
Currently, our Touk-Touk, Azur, and Sunrize smoothies contain sea buckthorn.
In how many retail spaces are these items found by customers?
Evive smoothies are available in over 2,000 grocery stores in Canada and 3,000 stores in the US.
Any plans to use it in other products in the future?
Yes, of course. Seabuckthorn is a dietary source of various nutrients such as Vitamin A, B1, B2, B9, C, K… and the list goes on! B2 contains minerals such as magnesium which contributes to normal muscle function. We also enjoy this berry’s tangy taste.
How popular are these products? What feedback do you get from customers?
Evive is the leading smoothie brand in Canada. Our customers appreciate how easy, quick, delicious and nutritious our smoothies are. Currently, our Azur and Touk-Touk smoothies are rated 5 stars on our website. You can learn more about each flavour and its benefits, and read product reviews on each smoothie’s flavour page.
Why did you choose Omega Fruit as your sea buckthorn supplier vs. other potential suppliers?
Omega Fruit has a high standard of quality ingredients and provides us with excellent service.
How would you describe the quality of service you receive from Omega Fruit?
We’ve always experienced excellent service with Omega Fruit. They are fast, and professional, and get back to us quickly with any questions we may have.
Why have you stayed with Omega Fruit all these years?
For the overall quality of their service and the quality of the sea buckthorn berries over the years.
How has the company grown since its creation in 2015? What’s next for Evive? Any other information or insight?
The company has grown exponentially, especially during the 2020 pandemic when our online membership program was in high demand. Since then, we’ve also experienced a large growth in retail in the US with our smoothies listed in even more stores than in Canada. Our focus is to keep innovating new and exciting smoothie flavours and more!