Meet The Moncton Duo Who Makes Healthy Freezies
MONCTON — The food and beverage industry has caught on to the fact that people are becoming more aware of the ingredients found in the things they eat. Some of our favourite childhood treats now have a healthier option, whether that’s ice cream, chips, or morning cereal.
But a Moncton duo have found a way to transform a common summertime treat into a hydrating, fresh, fruit-filled experience. Sum Good makes freezies. But unlike the snacks many are familiar with, Sum Good makes their freezies with fresh fruit and no added sugars or dyes. It’s meant to be both tasty and naturally hydrating.
The fruit used in Sum Good freezies is local. The apples come from New Brunswick; the blueberries and cranberries come from Nova Scotia. And the produce is not much more than a day off the farm before it’s filled into a Sum Good freezie tube.
“It’s fresh-pressed fruit. When you open up Sum Good, it is literally like taking a bite of an apple or tasting a bunch of mixed berries. It’s just a blast of fresh fruit,” explained Sum Good co-founder Matt Pennell.
“When we get a purchase order, our farmers get us the fruit within that day or the next. So, it’s exactly what it says; it’s fresh fruit plus electrodes.”
Pennell’s business partner, April Glavine, has long been focused on providing healthier alternatives for common snack items, especially for children. Prior to founding Sum Good, Glavine created the Lean Machine Healthy Vending Machines — wanting to tackle the ever-growing child obesity problem by providing vending machines with good food instead of the usual junk.
She came up with the idea of a healthier freezie after she was fed up with giving her child the sugar-filled tubes during the summer.
“Whenever we used to travel to warm destinations, or even for the summertime and for sports, I would always travel with an electrolyte style freezie, because it’s still a treat that was easy to get the kids to be compliant on. And in healthcare freezies are the most compliant format when somebody is dehydrated,” explained Glavine.
“I was giving it to my son, and I just looked at my husband I said ‘this is enough, I’m done with giving them dies and sugars.’”
Pennell and Glavine worked together years ago at a Halifax restaurant, where Pennell was the chef and Glavine worked the front of house. The future business partners reconnected after both, coincidentally, moved to Moncton.
They also have another locale in common, and it is hinted at in the name of the company. If you were to give a Newfoundlander a delicious meal, they may compliment you by saying the food was “Some good by!” So it’s no surprise to learn that both Glavin and Pennell originally lived in Newfoundland.
Sum Good has been successful in Atlantic Canada since it tested the waters in 2020. Two years ago, the company hit a milestone when its freezies were introduced to Sobey’s stores in the region.
Now, they are looking to expand nationally. And they may get some help in their endeavours soon. In May, the duo will be filming a pitch on Dragon’s Den. The expertise the Dragons can offer in expansion is one of the reasons Sum Good is going on the show.
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“One of our audacious goals is that we want to be national,” explained Glavine. “We have the equipment to do so. And we also are keen to export, and to do that we need expertise. We realize this might be a space where the dragons really could be useful.”
Pennell actually has a lot of previous television experience. As an award-winning chef, he’s been featured on shows like Chopped Canada, Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, and You Gotta Eat Here.
They may have the equipment to expand into other markets now, but the two recall the early days of the business when it was hard to fill the demand of just a few health and wellness stores. That’s because, like many startups, they were doing everything by hand. Being up late at night, filling tube after tube with freezie juice was not a fun part of starting a new business.
“We were getting called to be in other locations, but we could barely service the locations that we had. The demand was significant,” said Glavine. And once we were able to get an automated machine, that’s what allowed us to ramp up.”
“We had this little tiny pump, and April would press the pedal and the machine would make this awful sound,” recalled Pennell. “Then she’d pass it to me, and I’d seal it.”
Once the pair got a vertical filler machine to do that job for them, the production levels changed like night to day. They went from being able to fill just one or two packs a minute to 40 in the same timeframe. They recently added a second machine as well.
And even though freezies are often remembered as a childhood treat, Sum Good, because of its health and hydration benefits, are produced for everybody. The product is becoming well know in the sporting world as a great way to re-energize. The freezies can even be found in the UPEI Panthers hockey team’s locker room. Sum Good was also a sponsor of the Canada Winter Games.
Glavine also notes that, for older people, Sum Good often reminds they of simpler tinmes, when good food tasted a bit fresher.
“It’s amazing to hear: ‘Wow, that brought me back to my childhood.’ “It just reminds them of treats that they would have had as a kid. Just clean with nothing added. And it’s amazing to watch their expressions.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].