Founder Spotlight: Alex Bergquist (Seed to Surf)
Meet Alex Bergquist:
Seed to Surf is a plant-based seafood company that uses whole vegetables to recreate the seafood experience.
Startup Stage:
Seed Stage
Location:
Toronto, Canada
When did you launch the business?
October 2022
What led you to where you are today?
Most of my career experience before Seed to Surf has been in operations, inventory management and product planning. I enjoy a lot of things about that world, but always loved the idea of running something that I owned, of wearing many hats and having multiple roles, and of having a personal passion and investment in what I was doing. And as a long time vegetarian/vegan, I ultimately wanted to work on a business that was true to my values. Enter: Seed to Surf!
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
Nothing can truly prepare you for this journey, except realizing that it's a rollercoaster, with big highs and lows! Not setting expectations for yourself and celebrating the wins, however big or small, is key.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Humans consume over 200 species of seafood, which makes the plant-based opportunities significant. We see a ton of opportunity for innovation; that being said, our team frequently faces tough prioritization decisions. Essentially, we recognize that innovation is key to our success, but we also need to be mindful of our resources, and we're always making tradeoffs. That being said, we do have some very exciting new innovations that we hope to share soon.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I'm happy to be able to showcase the incredible versatility of vegetables with the VEGPRENEUR community. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, vegan-curious, or just love vegetables, I'm excited to show everyone all of the amazing things you can do, simply with vegetables!
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
The best way to support: Give Seed to Surf a try! We currently have two conserva-style products: tinned Snow Crab, made from enoki mushrooms, and our Smoked Whitefish, crafted from celery root. You can find our products online and in collaboration with almost 200 retailers. A few ways to support: - Check out retailers that carry our products near you! A list of retailers near you can be found on the Find Us page on our website. - If your go-to grocers don’t carry our tins yet, you can also recommend Seed to Surf to your favorite retailer so they can stock our products. - You can also check us out by purchasing Seed to Surf products directly from our website.
Fun fact about you:
I’ve been vegetarian for over 15 years, and vegan for over 8! Outside of Seed to Surf, I love being active: I’m an indoor cycling instructor, and love to run and cycle outdoors too.
Read More On Our Blog
