Sonel Merjuste and Jasmin Exael left Haiti in 2008 and moved to Quebec. The couple has achieved much: a close-knit family, a common business vision, and the huge success of Tempehine, the brand created by their company Les Aliments Merjex.
An unusual path to business
Sonnel Meljuste never doubted he would become an entrepreneur in Quebec. why? He wanted to give back to Quebec, which welcomed his family and made him feel at home. “The first thing we did was support the economic development of Quebec,” Meljuste said. He also had a strong desire to make a difference in his community.
“I worked on many business projects in Haiti,” Meljuste says. “We came here in 2008 and started learning to understand the business scene in Quebec. Jasmine and I tried to start two businesses but it didn't work out. , I realized that I needed tools to better understand this country's ecosystem. So I went to HEC Montreal to get a Bachelor's degree in Business. Mostly an entrepreneur is an optimist. We're either crazy or really optimistic. I've chosen to be optimistic and a little crazy,” he says with a laugh.
Despite his optimism, as a first-generation immigrant, he struggled to get people to take him seriously when looking for a partner or seeking a loan from a financial institution. “Those of us who come as immigrants have unique backgrounds, but we don't have the credit history that banks look for. We have to start from scratch. People don't know where you come from, they don't know you, They can be distrustful because they don't know your background. You're not part of the community.”
Search for start-up financing
Sonel Merjuste and Jasmine Exael were fortunate to receive support from two organizations: PME Montréal and RBC partner Groupe 3737.
Aliments Merjex has received its first funding with support from PME Montreal, which specializes in coaching and financing for entrepreneurs. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was critical at the time when the couple was trying to get their business off the ground.
Also important to the couple was Groupe 3737, a national non-profit based in Montreal that provides coaching and support tools to BIPOC business owners with an ecosystem of over 1,000 entrepreneurs across Canada. It offers.
“Their ecosystem is very important not only for business development but also for all communities. They have deep knowledge of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Receive their coaching and support in launching your business. The opportunity will allow us to better structure the project and take advantage of their history and contacts. They will support us in various ways to facilitate medium and long-term issues. I guess.”
The couple deepened their knowledge of the Quebec and Canadian business markets. Learning how to find suppliers, negotiate leases, and find partners were all elements of developing a business and controlling what Meljuste calls “the logistics circuit.” He emphasizes that as a first-generation immigrant in Quebec, knocking on doors was difficult because he didn't know who to turn to.
“In my opinion, Groupe 3737 is a great and important partner for any entrepreneurial ambition in the black community. I believe they are essential,” Meljuste says.
Founding Aliments Mergex
“Aliments Merjex” is a combination of the last names Merjuste and Exael. The brand name, Tenpein, is a coined word that combines “tempeh'' and “protein'', which means “protein'' in French.
When their son said he didn't want to eat meat anymore, Meljuste and Exael had to find a solution. They were already considering starting a catering service focused on healthy food. The Aliments Merjex and Tempehine brands were born.
“I've always been involved in community and community projects. Jasmine researched tempeh through trial and error, but I wasn't immediately intrigued. She found different ways to prepare it. We realized there was some potential nutritional value in it. We discovered a new source of protein for our family and decided to share the experience with our beloved Quebecers. This adventure started in 2019 and we can now say that we are a fairly dominant player in the market. You can't talk about tempeh without mentioning tempehine.”
The idea from the beginning was to help people eat better. The main goal of creating the Tempehine brand was to help people rediscover tempeh and provide an easy-to-prepare and healthy source of plant-based protein.
“Food is medicine. If you eat well, your health will improve,” Sonel Meljuste pointed out. “We bring awareness to healthy eating, which in a way affects the body. We dared to talk about tempeh, eating right, and plant-based protein. We dare to say that because it swims in the air. Because it's like fish. No one expected black labels to appear in the food industry, especially in vegan foods. We did it because we wanted to make 'eating better' within everyone's reach. Because I thought it should be there.”
Agility, resilience and generosity during a pandemic
Just as the business was getting back on track after overcoming many difficulties, the coronavirus pandemic began.
“We had intended to introduce Tempehine at the trade fair to be held on March 17th and 18th, 2020, but what had to happen finally happened. On March 13th, 2020 in Quebec went into lockdown, and we were stuck with stock we were supposed to sell on our site. We faced a big question: should we keep going or should we call it quits? We decided to keep going because we are passionate about what we do and we do it with love from the heart. I really think everyone needs to eat better. believe.”
The inventory was primarily divided between two organizations supporting families in Quebec: Moisson Montréal and Les fourchettes de l'espoir. The community appreciated the product and it gained some recognition.
A company rooted in the community
“We're proud to do such a good thing for Montreal-North and to be able to introduce a new story about our community,” says Meljuste. “This attracts other entrepreneurs in the community and they see us as ambassadors and standard-bearers. We are committed to youth entrepreneurship development at CDEC in Montreal North. We have several partnerships and are working on a number of interventions to share experiences and show that anything is possible, even if it is difficult. Because we entered a competitive market. Three years later, despite COVID-19, we are entering grocery stores across Quebec and restaurants selling our products (burgers) across Canada and the United States. We are proud of what we have achieved in such a short period of time and under such difficult circumstances.”
A winning approach with tempeh
Innovation is at the heart of Tempehine's efforts. How do we make tempeh more accessible and get people to love it, especially those who have never cooked it properly or understood its taste?
“Powdered tempeh, the perfect meat substitute, is the key to our success. We are committed to a comforting food that everyone knows. A healthy vegan food for everyone. , contains no animal products. We are leveraging what the market is demanding. Our innovative approach, our pillar, is that anything that can be made with meat is made with tempeh. We make tempeh delicious not only for health but also for taste. Our tempeh won a silver medal at the 2022 Montreal SIAL Innovation Competition.”
Tempehine products have received two prestigious certifications: “Aliments du Québec'' and “certified Organic.'' This project is also environmentally friendly, with all packaging being recyclable and printed with water-based inks. “We're doing this not only to improve people's diets, but also to help the planet in any way we can.”
Aliments Merjex is supported by an experienced team in brand development, from branding to marketing to taste. They work closely with Richard Lemyre, a marketing expert at Complètement Agro, and Martin Lamoureux, a chemistry lecturer at College Lionel-Groulx who specializes in food chemistry. His expertise contributed extensively to product development.
Merjuste and Exael have a clear vision of what they want to achieve at Tempehine over the next few years.
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Make tempeh a desirable and essential part of the Canadian diet. In 2023, he hopes to serve more than 15,000 dishes a week.
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Become an innovation leader in Tempe.
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They hope to create Quebec's tempeh within the next five years.
“Our roots in Quebec are strong. Then we look to the rest of Canada, the United States and the world. Vegans, omnivores, carnivores, there's something for everyone.”
Meljuste said some of the best reviews they ever received were after appearing on Radio-Canada's “Dans L'oeil du Dragon.” People who loved their passion and honesty embraced them on the streets.
“That motivates us. It's our reward. We were surprised and honored to be featured in L'épicerie. In the tempeh feature, we bought all brands of tempeh. They came to film our process, and Tempehine was the star of the Radio-Canada show L'Episerie. ”
This article is for general information only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other professional advice. You should consult a professional advisor regarding your particular situation. Although the information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date, we do not guarantee its accuracy. Nor should it be considered a complete analysis of the subject matter discussed. All opinion statements reflect the author's judgment as of the date of publication and are subject to change. Royal Bank of Canada or its affiliates do not endorse, express or implied, any third party or its advice, opinions, information, products or services.
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