Bonjour Bakery wins Business Innovation Award

Dec. 8, 2014 — Bonjour Bakery in Edmonton is the winner of Bakers Journal’s 2014 Business Innovation Award. The bakery is owned and operated by Yvan Chartrand, 54, and as the winner, he receives a $500 prize and a plaque to hang in his bakery. Jelly Modern Donuts, with locations in Toronto and Calgary, is our runner-up.

Chartrand runs Bonjour Bakery with help from his wife, Ritsuko; their 28-year-old son Kenny; and two part-time employees. They purchased the business, then known as Tree Stone Bakery, in 2010, taking over from longtime owner/operator Nancy Rubuliak, who ran the bakery for more than a decade.

Bonjour Bakery beat out 11 other Canadian bakeries for the magazine’s Business Innovation Award, which evaluates nominees using 10 questions as criteria. We asked each competitor if they had:

• introduced a new product or product line?
• implemented a social media strategy?
• launched a new marketing campaign?
• offer specialty products/something unique to their brand?
• been recognized with an award or distinction?
• changed operations?
• incorporated trends into their product offerings?
• held new events or special promotions?
• revamped current specialties to meet new demands?
• used new technologies or processes?

As the winner for 2014, Bonjour Bakery also receives a cover story in the January/February 2015 issue of the magazine.

To learn more about Bonjour Bakery, visit http://www.yvanchartrand.com. To learn more about Jelly Modern Doughnuts, visit http://www.jellymoderndoughnuts.com.