Sweet Flour Bake Shop

Kim Gans, from Toronto, Ontario, pitched Sweet Flour Bake Shop, asking for $350,000 for 35 per cent equity. The business lets customers build custom cookies from a choice of dough and mix-ins, baked in two minutes in store, priced from $2.75 to $3 per cookie, with delivery available same day locally or next day nationally through a courier partnership and Canada Post. Sweet Flour did $700,000 in revenue over the last 12 months across its retail and online gift business, was break-even for the first six months of the fiscal year, and is projected to be break-even again next year; Kim Gans has 15 years of experience in consumer brand management, including work on Betty Crocker, Green Giant and Lucky Charms, and said the company could grow to over $10 million in three years and 20 locations using smaller store-within-store formats.

Joe Mimran, Jim Treliving and Michael Wekerle declined, citing high retail costs, an unproven model, and heavy competition from bakeries and chocolate shops. Michele Romanow also declined, drawing on her own experience running a coffee shop. Manjit Minhas offered $350,000 for a 10 per cent royalty until double the investment was recouped plus a 10 per cent equity stake; after negotiation the offer moved to a 7.5 per cent royalty until double the money was returned with 10 per cent equity, which Kim Gans declined.

Sweet Flour Bake Shop is still operating and sells through its website.