Executive Summary

• Laid Back Snacks is a local food processor that wanted to grow their presence within BC
• Granted has dedicated Food & Beverage consultants that know the ins and outs of the food-related grant landscape
• With Granted’s help, Laid Back Snacks has secured over $82,000 in Buy BC funding

About Laid Back Snacks

Laid Back Snacks (LBS) is a BC-based food processor headquartered in Vancouver. The company started where all good stories do, with a guy trying to impress a girl. In 2014 Founder Neil Thomson had just met his now-wife Ryley Humphry. Ryley made fun of Neil’s unhealthy snacking habits, and Neil blamed them on not being able to find any tasty, healthy snacks from companies he wanted to buy from. Things evolved from there.

The company uses whole ingredients in fun and delicious ways. What stands out about LBS, in addition to their wonderful products, is their values and practices. A portion of all proceeds goes to support feeding children in need through a partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada. The company is also carbon neutral and a certified B Corporation, making its mission to be about more than just making a profit. 

Laid Back Snacks joined the Granted family in 2015, shortly after its establishment. Ever since, Granted has been identifying grant opportunities that they, as a food company, could leverage. As the company began to grow across the lower mainland, Buy BC was identified as a food-specific grant that could support their growth. In 2019, Granted helped LBS submit their first Buy BC application.

About BC Buy

British Columbia has a myriad of agriculture support systems to help small business owners in the food and beverage industry flourish. Among these is the Buy BC Partnership Program, run by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAFBC). 

The Buy BC program serves to support small businesses in the agri-food and seafood sector with their business growth efforts in new and existing markets within BC. There are many different activities that businesses can apply for including travel, attending trade shows, advertising, creating marketing materials, running demos, and more. 

This program is special because it is specific to the food industry. This means that the approved activities are catered to what helps food-related businesses grow.

Laid Back Snacks’ Projects

From 2019 to 2022, Laid Back Snacks participated in the Buy BC program to grow their presence within British Columbia. This included various activities such as attending local trade shows, running digital and print ads, developing new marketing materials, and hosting in-store demos. 

Their projects through 2020 and 2021 looked very different from the previous year. With the global pandemic in full swing, in-person activities were halted. Thanks to support from the Buy BC program, LBS was able to continue to run digital ads to continue to grow their business in the midst of COVID-19. 

Results

Over 3 years, Laid Back Snacks secured over $82,000 in funding from the Buy BC program. This has helped them expand through the pandemic and bring their delicious healthy snacks from a few dozen to a few hundred grocery stores and retail outlets throughout the province. Revenues have more than tripled during that time.

Today, their products can be purchased in stores including Whole Foods, IGA, Urban Fare, and Fresh Street Market, in offices, hotels, food service locations, and online through their e-commerce store. They’ve also just launched a corporate gift box program to help companies connect with their remote employees and distributed teams. More on that here.

“Working with Marley and the Granted team was a pleasure. They helped us navigate the complex process of identifying, applying for, and utilizing substantial grants that had meaningful impacts on our bottom line. Our US business wouldn’t be where it is today without the support of these grants.”

Neil Thomson

Founder