This Commerce Life
This Commerce Life
Phil Chang / Kenny Vannucci
A Canadian Podcast, focused on Canadian brands, determined to talk about Canadian success stories. We are retail educators and experts, teaching Canadian businesses how to build, grow, and scale in retail. As industry connectors, Kenny & Phil bring decades of experience as buyers, sales strategists, and marketers into delivering practical, actionable education grounded in real-world application.
Brand Photography, Wix vs WordPress, and Why AI Can't Replace This | ft. Bonnie Joyce
Phil and Kenny sit down with Bonnie Joyce — the photographer and web designer behind some of the best headshots This Commerce Life has ever had (which, admittedly, is a low bar). Bonnie runs Bonnie Joyce Creative Studio, a photography and Wix web design business based in Eastern Ontario, where she's built over 500 websites and shot everything from brand sessions to adoption hearings.
May 26
53 min
Vancouver Chef Robert Belcham on Restaurant Survival, Pricing Truth & Why Cheap Food Costs Someone Dearly
The survival math behind Vancouver's independent restaurant scene — and why cheap food is never actually cheap. Phil and Kenny sit down with Robert Belcham — a 35-year Vancouver chef, restaurateur behind Campanolo, Monarch Burger, and Poppina Canteen, and board member of the Chef's Table Society of BC — for one of the most candid conversations about the business of food we've ever had on This Commerce Life.
May 12
1 hr 3 min
The Queen of Cookies on 28 Years at Leclerc, Breaking Into Mexico & Why Independents Still Matter
Julie Therrien has spent 28 years selling Canadian cookies to the world — and she's got the stories to prove it. As Western Canada Sales Rep for Biscuits Leclerc (the family behind Celebration Cookies, Go Pure bars, and that iconic air travel snack you definitely know),
May 5
54 min
Why Retailers Want a Distributor (Not You) — Inside UNFI Canada with President Stacey Kravitz
Why Retailers Want a Distributor (Not You) — Inside UNFI Canada with President Stacey Kravitz If you're a Canadian food or beverage brand wondering why retailers keep asking for a distributor, this episode is your answer.
Apr 28
1 hr
Why Your Brand Looks Like Frankenstein (And How to Fix It) ft. Kevin Sotto
Most small business owners think they have a brand. What they actually have is a collection of decisions made in a hurry — four shades of blue, six different fonts, and a website built room by room without a blueprint. Sound familiar?
Apr 21
1 hr
The Real Cost of Getting Into Stores — Umami Crave the Fifth's Retail Journey
What does it take to turn a house-made restaurant dressing into a multi-SKU CPG brand with distributors, Power Bowl mixes, and a brand-new line of high-protein soup mixes? This week, Phil and Kenny sit down with Joanna and Stephanie, the co-founders of Umami Crave the Fifth, a Kelowna-based food brand making waves across BC and beyond.
Apr 14
1 hr 2 min
From Deloitte Partner to Canada's Only Horseradish Producer | Marc Whitmore
What does it take to leave a 30-year career at one of the world's biggest consulting firms — and bet it all on a 65-year-old condiment brand that had been sitting dormant for a year?
Apr 7
58 min
Retiring Grocer Reveals the Secret to Local Brand Success: Peter Boyd on Food, Community & What Retailers Really Want
After 37 years running the same grocery store, Peter Boyd is stepping away from the floor — but he's nowhere near done.
Mar 31
1 hr 11 min
From Tinder to Acquisition to North America's First Clear Vegan Protein — Melissa L'Heureux-Hache of Vegain
What does it look like to bootstrap a CPG brand from your kitchen, survive an acquisition, and then pivot into a category that barely existed? Melissa L'Heureux-Hache, co-founder of Vegain — a Vancouver-based plant-based sports nutrition company — shares the full story with Phil and Kenny on This Commerce Life.
Mar 24
52 min
We're Not Just a Podcast Anymore | This Commerce Life Update
Phil and Kenny pull up a chair for a candid check-in — no guest, no agenda, just an honest conversation about where This Commerce Life has been, where it's going, and why what they do matters more than ever for Canadian food and beverage brands.
Mar 17
31 min
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