From a small rented apartment, to cities across Canada, what began over 10 years ago with 2 guys creating a ‘Caesar Garnish’ has turned into a lot of ‘tasty products’ served throughout Canada and select cities in the U.S. As for the 2 guys who started it all, their story starts way before that:
Matt Larochelle and Steve McVicker both grew up in similar small towns they both happened to move to the Greater Toronto area and met while bartending in their early 20’s, where they struck up a lasting friendship.
They soon realized how many Caesars they were serving over the ‘wood’ and realized there has to be a better garnish than a celery stick for Caesars. So they decide to create something on their own.
Neither of them knew a lot about starting a business. But they knew a lot about ‘cocktails’ – especially Bloody Caesars – so it made sense (to them, anyway) to make a product that could be unique and different, something ‘tasty, topical, social and fun’ (the brand pillars that still resonate today)
Soooo, after coming up with the idea to make a spicy pickled bean, they found a unique bean that grows longer, sweeter and crunchier than your normal everyday green bean at a local grocery store it was a stroke of luck. The Kentucky flat bean as they are called were prefect and immediately went back to their apartment. Using “how to pickle†instructions from Matt’s mother, they began hand packing Beans into Jars and experimenting with spice combinations and soon after the Extreme bean was born....yes, in their apartment over a small ring burner stove and hand me down pots.
Soon there were increased demand and friends, family, customers and more folks clamored for a taste of ‘The Extreme Bean’. The Extreme bean was such a hit; it wasn’t long before they began selling them to local restaurants, then specialty grocery and supermarkets and beyond. Way beyond.
