The fruits of perseverance, in sport and in business for Brix

Despite the cancellation of virtually all sporting events where it has a presence, the Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford Brix business recharged by nature has been able to recover with online sales of its products.

Share November 2, 2020 3:00 a.m. Updated at 7:54 a.m. Share The fruits of perseverance, in sport and in business for Brix

Marie-Ève Martel La Voix de l'Est With the cancellation of practically all the sporting events where it assures an assiduous presence, the Abbotsford company Brix recharged by nature saw its pace slow down in 2020. However, none of this slowed down the ambition of entrepreneur Mario Plouffe.

“We can not say that the pandemic has not affected us, summarizes the creator of the sports sap Brix. Our product is very successful at large-scale sporting events that attract several thousand people, but all major events have been canceled this year. Many of our points of sale temporarily closed during the pandemic. ”

Normally, more than half of Brix products, energy gels made from maple syrup, are sold in the spring in preparation for the racing season. “This is our big boom, illustrates Mr. Plouffe. It is quieter in summer, but there is a revival in autumn. This year there was no boom at all. ”

Demand to reduce Brix's ecological footprint was very high from customers. Thus was born the idea to design and offer a washable silicone flask that can be refilled as often as desired to replace disposable energy gel sachets. ALAIN DION

“It's going to be a difficult year,” he predicts. It's like going back two years. ”

Fortunately, the company was able to recover with the sales of its products online. The other business of Mr. Plouffe and his partner, l'Érablière au Boisé du lac, has also done good business since the start of the year, which saved the day. “We have developed processed products and Nadine, my wife, has lots of other ideas in mind. We delivered everywhere and that's probably what saved us, ”explains the entrepreneur.

“It's like a loop that's come full circle,” he notes. Initially, it was thanks to the maple grove that we were able to give birth and visibility to Brix, and this year, the notoriety of Brix allowed the maple grove to reach more customers. ”

Over the past few months, Mario Plouffe has had fun developing new flavors of his famous maple-based energy gel. Thus, to the original maple flavor, aromas of raspberry or blueberry have been added, as well as a “sweet and savory” gel. ALAIN DION

Significant investments were made in the maple grove on Jodoin Road. “We knocked down old buildings and built new ones. We are also going to replace some of the equipment, ”explains the maple syrup producer. He would eventually like to open a point of sale on site to display his two product lines.

Moreover, over the last few months, Mario Plouffe has had fun developing new flavors of his famous maple-based energy gel. Thus, to the original flavor were added aromas of raspberry or blueberry, as well as a sweet-salty gel. On the maple grove side, maple “gold nuggets” or of the sweet and savory type have been created and are all the rage online, it is pointed out.

The pandemic dampened the momentum of the company, which was gradually thinking of international export after only four years of existence. “For now, we were targeting two or three countries,” says Mario Plouffe. We were in the process of developing the market elsewhere in Canada and in Europe, for both Brix and sugar bush products. The demand is there, but we have to see if it is worth it for us now. ”

Reusable pouch pioneer

Energy gels are popular with many endurance athletes, whether they are runners, triathletes or cyclists, to name a few. Generally sold in individual portions in the form of disposable sachets, these products are however the source of much waste, which some abandon on the premises of their activity.

“For 90% of people who will throw their bag in the right place, there are 10% of others who are not careful, recognizes Mr. Plouffe, a regular in marathons and sporting events where Brix has a kiosk. There are also more and more trail races where fewer people come to clean up the site afterwards. As a business, we had no choice but to go eco-responsible one day or another. ”

The demand to reduce their ecological footprint was also very strong from customers, says Mario Plouffe, also interested in reducing the volume of waste generated by his business housed in his maple grove on Mont Yamaska, in Saint-Paul-d. 'Abbotsford.

This gave rise to the idea of designing and offering a washable silicone “flask” that could be filled as often as desired. A project as ambitious as it is innovative for which Brix can claim to be a pioneer in the field. “This is not a project that any business would do,” agrees Mr. Plouffe. We have invested a lot in research and development to come up with a prototype that suits us. And again, we are still thinking of many improvements. But we are proud to have arrived at this product which is completely new on the market. ”

It was after two years of research and adjustments that Brix put its first reusable flask on its website this spring. With a capacity of 80 g, it can be refilled using large-format recyclable Brix gel containers, which are sold in 700 g bottles.

The reusable container is not yet available in the 150 stores that also sell the gel in Canada. “This is another effect of the pandemic: in addition to being more timid in their orders, retailers do not dare to jump right away on new products,” says Mario Plouffe.

But never mind, he knows he has a good deal.

“So far, we have only received positive comments,” he says.