How Do You Scale a $5,000 Idea Into a National Brand? This Entrepreneur Did Just That

By Sarah Walker 

When Kimberly Chamberland first entered the food industry, she was her own biggest investor  — putting in the time, labour, and personal funds to mix ingredients, test products, and personally deliver them to local coffee shops. 

It was the early days of plant-based eating, long before grocery store shelves were lined with vegan alternatives. But Kim saw an opportunity. 

Fast-forward two decades, and with the help of her daughter, Jasmine Byrne, Big Mountain Foods has grown into a nationally recognized brand known for its commitment to sustainability, locally sourced ingredients, and allergen-friendly plant-based products. 

A Legacy of Entrepreneurship 

Kimberly’s entrepreneurial spirit is rooted in her family’s love of food. With no formal education, she says cooking was something she instinctively understood. Kimberly adds she eventually realized she could turn her natural talent in the kitchen into a meaningful career path, one that would afford her the opportunity to work for herself. 

“We are now a four-generation family of female entrepreneurs. My grandmother owned and ran well-known restaurants in California, and my mother was one of the original pioneers of the organic vegetarian lifestyle, owning several trendy vegetarian diners in Seattle, as well as a catering company. Naturally, I followed in their footsteps as an entrepreneur.”

That influence first drew Kimberly into the organic food world. When a family friend who ran Simply Wonderful Foods — a small business delivering organic treats and sandwiches to trendy cafés — decided to sell, Kimberly jumped at the chance. 

She bought the business for $5,000 and took on every role herself — cooking, packaging, delivering orders. 

“As demand grew, I opened a vegetarian restaurant in Kitsilano, British Columbia, and hired a small team,” she recalls.

That restaurant, Kits Point Kafe, was ahead of its time — one of the first in Kitsilano to serve wholesome, home-cooked vegetarian meals when few others were offering anything like it.

Then, she received a piece of advice that would change everything. 

“I was eight months pregnant with my third child, juggling everything, when a buyer told me I needed a product with a longer shelf life,” she says. “They said I wouldn’t be able to scale without one.” 

That challenge led Kimberly to develop a 15-day shelf-stable veggie patty. She and her team began to prepare organic vegetarian products for universities, health food stores, conventional stores, and cafés. And, rapidly, she built the foundation for what Big Mountain Foods is today. 

As interest in the company grew, Jasmine — who had grown up watching her mother build the business — stepped in to help take it to the next level.

The Next Generation Steps In 

For Jasmine, being raised in the business meant early mornings, long hours, and a front-row seat to what it takes to succeed. 

“I remember watching my mom lift huge bins of ingredients, run production machines, and do everything herself,” Jasmine recalls. “I wanted to help and get involved.” 

After earning a business degree, she officially joined Big Mountain Foods with a clear vision:  scale the company sustainably. 

“That meant improving operations, automating processes, and bringing in the right people,” she explains. “It allowed Kimberly to focus on what she was most passionate about — sales, product innovation, and driving growth.” 

Together, the duo expanded Big Mountain Foods’ product line — including a soy-free tofu that won industry awards and filled a major market gap for allergen-friendly plant-based foods. 

“We saw that most plant-based products relied on soy, nuts or gluten,” Jasmine says. “We wanted to create something that worked for everyone.” 

But scaling a family business comes with its own set of challenges. 

“When you go from running a small operation to managing a full team, everything changes,”  Jasmine says. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for plant-based foods skyrocketed, forcing the company to rapidly expand into a 69,000-square-foot facility. 

At one point, they even considered a more corporate C-suite leadership structure, but it turned out to be a mistake. 

“We lost our agility,” Kimberly says. “We had to recalibrate.” 

The Power of the Right Relationships  

For Kimberly and Jasmine, building strategic relationships has been critical to their success. One example is TD. 

The pair have been working with the bank for years and started right “when we hit that critical growth stage where businesses either make it or they don’t,” Kimberly says. 

Navigating the complexities of growth has been a mix of ambition, innovation, and financial strategy. TD has supported Big Mountain Foods by providing banking and lending advice along their journey.  

Jasmine adds: “They don’t just feel like a bank. They show up at our industry events, they’re part of our world. That kind of support is invaluable.” 

Kimberly continues: “When you have a team that believes in your vision, like TD, your vision can quickly become a reality.”

Now, with momentum on their side, Kimberly and Jasmine are setting their sights on major new opportunities.

This year, the focus is on bringing institutions like hospitals and universities more nutritious, delicious, and inclusive food options. At the same time, they’re expanding into international markets, making their tofu and plant-based products accessible to consumers beyond North America. They’re also pushing deeper into food service and frozen products to ensure allergen-friendly, plant-based options are more widely available.

To aspiring food entrepreneurs, they offer hard-earned wisdom. 

Kimberly says staying true to your mission despite outside pressures is key, but so is stepping outside your comfort zone as much as possible. She also emphasizes financial discipline and strategic growth, saying that early opportunities — no matter how daunting — should be seized.  At the same time, she warns that keeping a close eye on costs and pricing is critical. 

And most importantly? Play the long game. 

“Success is a long-term journey,” she says. “You have to take care of yourself and maintain balance so you can build your business in a sustainable way.” 

For Jasmine, working alongside her mother has been its own source of inspiration. 

“I see my mom still working hard, still pushing forward, and it motivates me every day,” she says. “We’ve built something incredible together — and we’re just getting started.” 

Kimberly agrees. 

“The future is wide open, and that’s exciting.”