Quebec entrepreneur builds snack company after grocery aisle disappointment

QUEBEC CITY — Vanessa Grondin launched a national snack bar company after a disappointing trip to a Quebec City grocery store in late 2023.

She was looking for snacks for her children, aged seven and one, ahead of a family trip but found the offerings hadn't changed much in 20 years.

"Even though there were a lot of products on the shelves, there was nothing I wanted to buy," Grondin says.

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She wanted a snack that was minimally processed, nut-free, had no added sugar, and contained natural protein and fibre, all while being affordable and tasty.

Leveraging her background as a processing engineer, Grondin began researching ingredients. "I'm a little bit of a nerd in that way," she says.

By spring 2024, she had left her corporate job to focus on launching Henri Nutrition, a line of minimalist bars named after her son.

"It was super scary," Grondin says of quitting. "Coming up to launch, I was anxious and scared it might be a total flop."

She initially sought a co-manufacturer but struggled to find one meeting her specifications, so she took production into her own hands.

"It comes with challenges, but it also comes with a lot of opportunities," she explains. "We control everything: the supply chain, the quality, the process, the cost."

After equipment delays, Henri Nutrition launched in February 2025 with three flavours: Mixed Berries, Apple Cinnamon and Choco Brownie.

The brand first landed on shelves at eight IGA locations in Quebec City and six Marchés TAU stores in Montreal.

"It's really exciting to start off with an idea and actually materialize it," Grondin says. "It was really exciting seeing the products on the shelves."

The launch faced an immediate challenge when the company she rented production space from went bankrupt that same month.

"That was really stressful," she says, especially after investing money into developing the space.

The unplanned move to a private commercial space in Quebec City in May 2025 did not slow momentum.

In the latter half of 2025, the company debuted its bars in Metro, Maxi and Avril stores in Quebec and Summerhill Market and Goodness Me! stores in Ontario, adding a Wild Blueberry & Vanilla flavour.

Growth continued in 2026 with launches at IGA, Fresh St. Market and 50 natural food stores in Western Canada.

Two major wins followed: a Canada-wide rollout at TJX Companies stores in the spring and a summer debut as an in-flight snack on Air Transat.

Henri bars are now available in about 1,500 stores.

The company is growing so quickly it has reached production capacity and will need to move its manufacturing facilities again within the next 12 months.

Grondin sees this need to move as a good problem to have.

A new flavour is launching this fall and new product lines are in the works, though Grondin remains tight-lipped on details.

As an entrepreneur, she has no regrets about leaving corporate life.

"I feel like I'm able to express more of my creativity in the company," she says. "I can have fun growing it. It's an accomplishment of self-realization."

With files from Canadian Grocer