HOLR is sitting down to chat with Flourish Pancakes founder, Andrew Andriano, about how the business came to be and what’s next!
At just 23 years old, the founder of Flourish Pancakes, Andrew Andriano, embarked on an inspiring journey that transformed a personal struggle into a thriving business.
Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Andriano faced significant hurdles which taught him invaluable lessons about resilience and the kindness of others. Stepping away from a family business background, Andriano developed the grit necessary for entrepreneurship. As a result, he discovered that true motivation can sometimes come from unexpected places.
Today, the Flourish team remains dedicated to innovation and creating delicious, healthy breakfast solutions. Keep reading to learn all about Andriano’s journey to founding the brand and all of his success to date.
Talk to us about your journey to founding the brand. What inspired you to transition from a fast-food addiction to creating Flourish Pancakes?
I started Flourish when I was 23 years old, and at the time I was just trying to survive. I had a very strained relationship with my parents because I had refused to enter our family business and had dropped out of university. I found myself in precarious housing, unsure of what the future held.
To help put a roof over my head I started several ecommerce businesses. But there was no satisfaction from the work. My lifestyle was also very unhealthy at the time – I was staying up way too late working and my diet consisted mainly of sugary and nutrient-deficient foods. I really didn’t feel great.
But this all served as inspiration for Flourish, as I was tired of feeling sluggish and constantly hungry. One day I gave my brother Peter a call, who is a chef, and together we worked on a breakfast food that wasn’t crammed with sugar, frozen, or from a box. We spent months on the recipe. After lots of trial and error, we came up with, in my opinion, the perfect pancake recipe: high in protein, high in fiber, and high in flavor, but minus the sugar.
And that’s how Flourish came to be – once we were happy with the recipe, I was determined to share my mix with as many people as I could.
Can you tell us more about your experience of building Flourish while facing homelessness? What lessons did you learn during that time?
I think I took away two key things during my time being under-housed. The first was that I was capable of a lot more than I thought I was. For the first time in my life, I had to look after myself. And while most teen’s transitions into adulthood are not as extreme, it’s something I think we all must go through in some form or another during this time in our lives – depending on ourselves, making difficult choices, and being alone, or outside of our family home. For me, this was hugely eye-opening, and I realized that the freedom and independence that came with my newfound capability was life-changing.
The second is that the world was a lot kinder of a place than I had imagined. And while I was enjoying my new independence, I also spent countless nights on friends’ couches. I needed people in a myriad of ways to help me get through those days. And that’s something I will never forget. The value of one person’s kindness or generosity can be life-changing, especially when you’ve lost so much. I try to pay that forward now whenever I can.
How did your decision to step away from the family business impact your entrepreneurial journey?
I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Because I’d seen so many of my role models start their own businesses, and were successful, trying something on my own didn’t feel as daunting for me as it might have, had I not been surrounded by those people. That said, I also grew up in a really privileged home, and while I saw my dad and other family members run their own businesses, I had no idea how much it demanded of them and the stress that they must have been under.
Stepping away and leaving home gave me the grit, backbone, and work ethic that is required to succeed as an entrepreneur. If I had just stayed where I was, I’m not sure I’d have developed my character in the same way. And the truth is, when something you’ve known your whole life is taken away from you, it can be incredibly motivating.
How did you overcome specific challenges you faced while developing Flourish?
I think part of the fun of my job is the problem-solving that’s required every single day. Sometimes those challenges can be energizing and other times I can leave the office feeling deflated if I’m being honest with you.
I think Flourish is able to overcome obstacles because I never shy away from relying on experts’ opinions. I’m just one person and without my colleagues and external resources, Flourish wouldn’t be what it is today. I’m also really determined. It might drive my team crazy every once in a while, but I never take no for an answer. I’m more than happy to help the team find the solutions and offer the lessons that I’ve learned along the way.
In what ways do you ensure that Flourish products maintain a balance of high protein, low sugar, and great taste?
As I said earlier, when I started Flourish, the recipe was a creation of my brothers and me. And while the core formulation hasn’t changed, the team and I have made tweaks and improvements to it over the years.
For example, our products are now completely free of sugar alcohols (erythritol in our case) and are now sweetened with monk fruit juice concentrate. And the truth is, that kind of R&D is beyond my capabilities. We’ve hired experts in food science and now have a robust R&D team who spent countless hours in the lab ensuring that we got this change right.
In other words, ensuring that our product is the best of the best, from nutritionals to taste, is something that we take very seriously, and something that we’ve invested in.
What does being named Canada’s fastest-growing CPG company in 2022 and 2023 mean to you and your team at Flourish?
It means that we’ve done a great job, but that there is still so much more we can accomplish! Being recognized by the Globe and Mail, such an esteemed organization, was incredibly rewarding, not just for myself but for everyone at Flourish. Sometimes as an entrepreneur, you are the one to receive all the accolades, or pats on the back. But this was a win for everyone who’s touched the brand, and it was a big moment for all of us.
What’s next for Flourish?
Our focus right now is on aggressively acquiring new consumers and creating new eating occasions across both the United States and Canada. Flourish is determined to transform breakfast categories with low-sugar, high-protein solutions that taste flippin’ delicious!
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Published by HOLR Magazine