When Charlene and Vince Li first bonded over their love of food and drink, they didn’t have plans to turn that passion into a business.
At the time, the Toronto couple were taking a wine tasting class and were focused on their burgeoning relationship. At home, they would unwind from their busy jobs by watching movies and making tasty snacks – including homemade popcorn.
But soon, their culinary pastime became something bigger.
After the couple married and relocated to Boston for Charlene’s job, Vince, who had a previous career in technology sales and real estate asset management, stayed at home with their 18-month-old son and started experimenting even more in the kitchen. One day, he decided to add a shot of single-malt scotch to a batch of popcorn to bring to a friend’s party, and the result was delicious.
Pretty soon after that, they knew they had something special.
“It became the talk of the party,” Charlene, who has a background in finance, said. “All of our friends asked, ‘Where did you buy this popcorn?!’ We told them we made it, and we became known as the ‘popcorn couple.’”
Turning a pastime into a business
Once Charlene and Vince saw how much people loved their popcorn, they took it outside their family and friends. Their alcohol-infused snacks were unique, tasty, and unlike other products on the market. So, in 2018, they started working out of a food accelerator in Boston and entered – and won – a competition where they presented their whisky infused treat.
“It wasn't until that key eureka moment that we thought our idea had legs,” Charlene said.
EATABLE began while Charlene was still working her corporate job. For about the first three months, Vince was solely focused on the gourmet popcorn brand. But when they decided to go all in on EATABLE, the couple moved back to Toronto to build their business so they could be closer to family and their support network.
The couple spent more than a year working alongside Paris-trained pastry chefs so they could master the art of creating high-quality treats. They started with three popcorn flavours in an online store in 2019, and a few months later, after gaining some traction on social media and through word of mouth, Charlene said a couple of Canadian retailers came knocking on their door.
About 10 months after EATABLE launched, Charlene, who had been working part-time on the brand, decided to leave corporate life. Now, both Vince and Charlene were focused on EATABLE’s growth full-time.
“We found that both of us were needed because we have very different skillsets that are complementary to the business,” she said.
“Vince is the master of all things product, and I came in with my finance background. Plus, I’ve been part of a couple of entrepreneurial endeavors, and I’m sort of a marketer at heart. Together, we found that we were able to take the company further once we were firmly committed.”
Growing a small business
To support their growth, the couple rented a kitchen to produce their gourmet popcorn. But pretty soon they realized they needed to build their own production space to service the business.
The couple was working with a small business account manager at TD who helped them determine the best ways to meet their business goals.
"TD was actually one of our biggest supporters from day one because we had applied for the Canadian Small Business Financing Loan, a government-backed small business loan program, which was facilitated through our small business account manager at TD,” Charlene said.
"It was because of TD that we were able to set up our first production space. We're still actively producing out of the facility and using it like a test kitchen for small-batch runs.”
Now, after seven years of business, the brand has had some serious highlights, such as creating a line of popcorn for Academy Award nominee gift bags with flavours including chocolate and peppermint and pumpkin spice caramel. The brand has branched into many retailers, including Whole Foods and Well.ca.
EATABLE continues to grow, and Charlene said they’re currently working on a new line of products that celebrate culture. “They are sweet and savory, kind of a lighter palate, and more easy-going flavours that are inspired by the global food capitals of the world,” she said.
Advice for couples who want to go into business together
While running a small business is a lot of work, so is maintaining a healthy relationship with your spouse. Being partners in life and work can have its challenges, but also its rewards.
Charlene said establishing boundaries is important for couples who want to go into business together, because it’s very easy to bring work home and into the relationship.
"When we're together during work time, we can do the work and talk about work issues; because our skillsets are complementary, that works really well,” Charlene said. “But the real challenge is, after you finish work and go home, can you leave the work talk outside and not carry issues back home to your family?”
Charlene admits it’s a work in progress to keep work conversations entirely out of downtime. EATABLE is a family business, after all, with the couple’s kids actively involved in the excitement, whether it’s checking out their product in retailers or witnessing the production magic.
But the beauty of running a business with your spouse is modeling a strong work ethic to your children.
“Whatever it is [our kids] end up doing, whether it's in food or outside of food, I hope this inspires them to blaze their own career trail,” Charlene said. “To us, that's what this company has been about; it’s showing what it looks like to have a dream and chase it.”
And when it comes to marriage, Charlene said being business partners has strengthened their bond. Vince and Charlene have been together for 14 years and have been working partners for almost half of that time.
Clear communication, boundaries, and leaning into each other’s respective strengths have been key to their success.
“I honestly believe that if you can survive working with your spouse, your relationship will survive anything,” Charlene said.