Lily Rechon-Reguet’s education in industrial engineering and experience working in a candy factory were the perfect combination for her launch her own food production business. Add in that she moved to from Mexico to Vancouver to study web design at BCIT, while working in the food industry and then had the opportunity to learn new food processing techniques in France with her husband, Thierry; you could certainly say that Lily’s jobs and schooling were uniquely positioning her to become a successful entrepreneur.
A taste of Mexico
Lily and Thierry moved to Vancouver Island after their time abroad, only to discover that many people really loved authentic Mexican food, but didn’t necessarily the ability to visit Mexico. She wanted to make a piece of Mexican culture accessible to the masses, so she put her skills in product development, production, sales and marketing to work and launched Islanders Fresh Authentic Mexican Sauce.
Good food knows no borders
Working with Brady allowed Lily to navigate existing business challenges and to see potential growth outside of her current market.
“This is new for me, and it’s challenging to be new to the market in Canada as well as learning about carriers and transporters that move our product around,” admits Lily. “I see an opportunity to grow as a company and would like to export my product to U.S.”
Brady is supporting Lily to build out her business for both domestic and international success. “He guides me to resources and courses that can help me achieve my goals as company,” says Lily. “I am learning each day and finding new opportunities to grow.”
One particularly impactful resource for Lily has been the Digital Marketing Bootcamp: “We just created our online shop and I’m learning more about how digital marketing works to promote our product.”
Strength in numbers
When starting a business, there are so many moving pieces that it’s impossible to even recognize what you’re missing. That’s why Lily benefitted from working with Brady.
“Having an Export Advisor is a true help because often, as owners, we don’t have time to see all the opportunities we have to grow our business,” explains Lily. She’s appreciative of all the dedicated energy that Brady put in to make Islanders Fresh Authentic Mexican Sauce even better. “I totally recommend that business owners join Export Navigator.”
