Updated: August 24, 2021, 5:27 A.M.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Cheer and nostalgia for products brought customers during the lockdown
Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
ASIDE from their very sweet intentions, three brothers found success in a candy and snacks business that has left a very good taste in the mouths of their customers in Winnipeg.
To honor the memory of their mother, Erlinda—who is from from Caloocan and had worked in Canada as a nurse aide 40 years ago, brothers Joel, Jason and Jeremy Revereza decided to come up with a family business last May after they laid her to rest.
After brainstorming and talking to a Toronto-based cousin about a similar business idea, Joel, 38; Jason, 36 and Jeremy, 34 came up with SnackBrosWpg—an online store of favorite but rare or hard-to-find snacks in Canada.
“My Mom would always want us to stay together, stay close together and when she passed, my brother moved back (from Calgary). We decided to do something to honor her, to work together and maybe to keep it going in the future,” Jason said of the business venture which they launched in July.
Customers can access it through Instagram @snackbroswpg or their website www.snackbros.ca and order to their hearts delight from a list of over 100 of their favorite candies, chocolates, chops, cereals, spreads, drinks and savoury snacks.
“I loved these as a kid,” posted @thatgirlangel87 in their Instagram account about DunkAroos Vanilla Cookies and Vanilla Frosting with Rainbow Sprinkles. Hers was just one of the dozens of testimonials of customers who tagged them on their Instagram posts of the items they purchased.
The brothers believe that the cheer and nostalgia that the products brought to the customers during the lockdown are among the strengths of the business model.
“We are enjoying what we’re doing and the reaction of the people. The fact that people are responding, the more we want to give what they’re asking for. It just brings so much excitement that people are responding to what we’re doing,” Jeremy added.
Joel, who is handling the delivery of the products full-time, said the orders have been steady. Then, the number increases during the weekends, Jason added.
Aside from the sharing that their Mom loved snacks so much, the brothers admitted that they came up with the idea after seeing that many people ordered food during the quarantine.
“We decided to do something similar but with snacks since people can’t cross the border and travel. So we decided to bring it to Winnipeg and deliver it to their door,” Jason added.
Delivery is free for orders worth $50 but for a minimum order of items worth $25, there is a $5 delivery fee. However, they still allow orders below $25 but they set up a pick up at Garden City Mall for the convenience of their customers.
Joel said among the favorites are Nerds Gummy Clusters, Rap Snacks, Kitkat Fruity Cereal and DunkAroos.
Their treasure chest of treats includes Mentos Rainbow, Fruit and Strawberry Banana, Warheads Sour Twists, Kitkat Key Lime Pie, M&Ms Mint Dark Chocolate, Twix White, Pokemon Cereal Berry and Kool-Aid peace Mango Drink Mix, among others.
“We try to keep it unique and different from other corner stores,” Jason also said.
Jason, who works as an IT Network Administrator, explained that the website is very user-friendly and customers will know if the item is available or not right away.
Currently, over 90 percent of their customers are Instagram users and they hope to strengthen their presence on Facebook, Tiktok and Twitter.
Much of their inventory was based on what the customers ask for however, they also check out Instagram, Youtube—specifically ASMR videos— for ideas for their business, said Jeremy.
They also hope many will spread the word about their sweet venture to increase their Instagram followers and to grow local support for a business that was inspired by their Mother’s love.