Crafty Ramen: The at-home noodle kit’s rise to success

The Guelph-based restaurant and ramen kit creators reflect on their recent achievements

By: Talia Saley

Crafty Ramen home-made kits displayed on their website. (Courtesy of Crafty Ramen Market Inc.)

When Miki Ferrall moved from Japan to Canada in 2016, she felt there wasn’t a restaurant that made her feel at home. When reminded of Japan, she felt levels of homesickness and wanted this restaurant to re-create a space that felt like home. So she decided to open her own place with her husband, Jared Farrell. The pair opened their first location in Guelph, Ont., in 2017.

“We wanted them to feel comfortable to try our ramen and share the Japanese culture,” said Miki Ferrall.

Khalil Khamis, the chief executive officer of Crafty Ramen started as a loyal customer before joining the team.

“As a single guy after a long day of work, I would stop in and sit at the bar, and it would feel like home,” said Khamis.

After many conversations, Khamis partnered with the couple to further expand the business. When the company opened their second location in Kitchener, Ont., in 2019, they faced universal troubles that came with running a business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After observing other strategies businesses have shifted to doing in order to counteract losses, they decided to begin their own at-home meal kits. Crafty Ramen aimed to “help bring that experience home” to their consumers throughout quarantine.

How it works and how it has grown

Ramen kit descriptions listed on their website (Source: Crafty Ramen website)

Customers can subscribe to Crafty Ramen to receive meal kit deliveries every couple of weeks, ranging from every one to eight weeks. Buyers must secure four to six items to proceed with their purchase at a starting price of $65.26 for a minimum of four meal kits.

On the website, there is a section that leads to written instructions on how to build the kit, along with YouTube tutorials. When customers open the package, it comes with all of the separate ingredients which they must assemble together. 

Crafty Ramen started by making around 200 meal kits for daily pickups. As soon as the meal kits were added to their website, customer reactions were extremely positive. Inter-province customers even began requesting for the company to ship kits to their location. Recently, Crafty Ramen has expanded their delivery service locations out to British Columbia.

“The base over here is really we have a very strong customer community,” said Miki Ferrall.

In 2020, Crafty Ramen started to build its e-commerce website, now reaching around 1000 subscribers for their meal kit products. Their meal kits are available in more than 150 grocery stores across Ontario. 

In the near future, Crafty Ramen is planning on shipping its products to towns around Vancouver. The company is also planning on opening another location in Toronto, specifically in the Ossington area.

With the success of their new products, including the at-home ramen kits and other unique additions, such as their brothless ramen, gyoza and sausage kits, they are continuously trying to improve to spread their brand. They are using social media through paid social posts, as well as organic engagement through influencer outreach.

Crafty Ramen is also making efforts to better its environmental footprint. Instead of using gel packs for delivering their meal kits, for example, they switched to using dry ice after receiving feedback from customers. The liners for their packaging are made from 100 per cent recycled water bottles. Instead of viewing feedback negatively, Crafty Ramen try to use it as a means to improve on “some of the parts that some of [their] customers might not be happy with.”

After the development of the company both in person and online, they have noticed how dine-in customers will eat in and take a meal kit with them home. Some customers have encouraged Crafty Ramen to open a restaurant in their city after tasting the at-home meal kits.

Crafty Ramen enters the ‘Den’

Crafty Ramen’s founders, Miki and Jared Ferrall, and chief executive officer, Khalil Khamis on Dragons’ Den. (Courtesy of Crafty Ramen Market Inc.)

When Miki Ferrall was in Japan, she grew up watching The Tigers of Money, the original incarnation of CBC’s Dragons’ Den. She said she was excited to appear on a similar TV show that she grew up watching. 

“I just got so excited about just all the time I was smiling, it was a super fun day,” said Miki Ferrall.

Khamis mentioned how the experience meant a lot to him as he grew up watching Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank as an entrepreneur.

The application process started with an online questionnaire and a one-minute pitch video. Even after getting accepted to air on Dragons’ Den, the team from CBC helped to prepare and refine their pitch to be ready for the show.

On Dragons’ Den, Crafty Ramen asked the dragons for $600,000 in exchange for 6.5 per cent of the business. They ended up going with the deal from Arlene Dickinson for $600,000 with 12 per cent of the company.

Let’s hope Crafty Ramen will continue to deliver their homey experience to bring joy to consumers across Canada for years to come.

Canadian Snack Box wraps childhood memories in a package

For those looking to receive a taste of Canadian goods, Canadian Snack Box has you covered, wherever you are in the world. 

By: Vanessa Tiberio

An assortment of classic Canadian snacks is what Canadian Snack Box customers can expect from the various box options. Pictured here is the namesake “Canadian Snack Box.” (Courtesy of Melissa Hurley)

Ever wondered what it would feel like to receive a box of carefully selected Canadian snacks right at your doorstep? Well, Canadian Snack Box aims to do exactly that. 

Founded in the summer of 2020, Canadian Snack Box is a subscription-based service and an online store centred around selling strictly Canadian food products, both internationally and domestically. 

The products sold are all well-admired Canadian snack delicacies that typically grace the aisles of any supermarket or convenience store here in Canada, including chips, chocolate, cookies and other packaged goods.

The company offers five varieties of snack boxes containing around 10 to 15 different items, ranging in price from $30 to $50. Orders can be shipped globally, with a fulfillment time of approximately three to five business days. 

Operating out of Alliston, Ont., Canadian Snack Box owner Melissa Hurley works alongside her husband Stephen to meet the day-to-day demands of fulfilling snack orders. 

Growing up in Brampton, Ont., Hurley always had a passion for the food industry and running her own business. She initially went to school to become a hairdresser but decided to switch gears into the food industry to continue following her passions. 

“I’ve always liked running my own store and dealing with customers. I just like creating,” said Hurley. 

Prior to the pandemic, Hurley operated a café focused on baked goods. However, like many other Canadians, the onset of COVID-19 forced the couple to shut down their café. After fulfilling online orders for a while, the two decided to shift their focus to another project instead. From there, Canadian Snack Box was born. 

The small business first launched to just 10 customers with its monthly curated boxes. Fast-forward a few months to the fall of 2020, it had grown exponentially with over 100 monthly subscribers. 

The business continued to “blossom into the snack powerhouse that it is now,” said Hurley. Canadian Snack Box currently boasts just under 31,000 followers on TikTok, along with 1,800 followers on Instagram. 

The company primarily markets to foreign nationals looking to get their hands on snacks that they wouldn’t otherwise find in their local markets, as well as Canadians living abroad who may be looking to receive a small touch of home. 

Although roughly 85 per cent of orders originate from the United States, Hurley said it never fails to amaze her when she sees demands from different countries. 

“I’ve seen orders from Israel… and the Philippines before. Sometimes I look at the address, and I’m like, ‘oh, wow,’” she said.

Despite primarily catering to customers abroad, Hurley said many in-country Canadians make use of the subscription service and snack box options too. 

“I have a lot of people from Toronto — believe it or not — order items because they don’t have certain items in their own city,” she said. 

A number of packaged snack box orders ready to be shipped out are on full display. With close to 400 orders to fulfill, the 2021 holiday season was especially busy for Canadian Snack Box. (Courtesy of Melissa Hurley)

As the internet and import shops increase the accessibility to Canadian snacks worldwide, Hurley faces several challenges in providing snacks not commonly found or already widely sold in other countries. 

To solve this, Hurley has begun consulting with her customers overseas to gauge which snacks they prefer to receive and which ones they have greater access to. This has also helped inform the curation process where Hurley chooses the snacks to send out in her monthly boxes according to customer demands. 

Another factor Hurley must keep in mind when preparing her snack boxes is the season and weather conditions that will affect the food items she is shipping out. In the warmer summer months, Hurley tends to omit chocolate items in the boxes as they’re likely to melt before the customers receive them. 

Hurley also prides herself on putting her customers first by adding full-sized products to the boxes, rather than just trial-sized goodies that she sees many of her competitors doing. 

“If I want to buy something, I don’t want to get something small. I look at my perspective if I were to buy it and how I would feel,” she said. 

Canadian Snack Box owner Melissa Hurley stands beside a sign at her newly opened shop, Oh! So Sweet Candy, in Loretto, Ontario. With the success of her snack boxes, Hurley welcomed the launch of her new “rare candies” store on Dec. 18, 2021. (Courtesy of Melissa Hurley)

Selling Canadian snack boxes has allowed Hurley to expand her online retailer into a physical candy store. On Dec. 18, 2021, Hurley opened Oh! So Sweet Candy in Loretto, Ont., which specializes in selling rare and “exotic” candies not typically found at your local grocer. 

“I just began selling these rare candies and had candy garage sales where people would come and buy candy, like mini markets, and they were so excited for it. They kept asking if I had a store, so I figured it was time to open one up,” Hurley said. 

When she’s not busy fulfilling snack box orders or setting up her rare candies shop, Hurley can be found taking care of her little family of two children. She says the most rewarding aspect of selling Canadian snacks is that she can make doing what she enjoys her full-time job. 

“I love making my own hours so I can spend time with my kids. I don’t like working for others as I have my own specific way of running things, so setting my own hours and doing things my own way has been really rewarding,” Hurley said. 

As for the future, Hurley looks to continue building her Canadian Snack Box business and using TikTok to advertise her goods. She also hopes to see success in her candy shop and potentially open more locations as it continues to grow. 

“I don’t think rare snacks will ever die down,” Hurley said. 

8 foodie-approved gift ideas from Canadian small businesses

These local food-related gifts will surely bring joy to food lovers this holiday season 

By: Madeline Liao

(Dzenina Lukac/Pexels)

With the holidays fast approaching, many of us are scrambling to find the perfect gift for our loved ones. Gift shopping can be difficult, especially if you don’t know what to buy and where to look. Luckily, there are plenty of small businesses right here in Canada that can help you check things off your shopping list. Here are some potential gift ideas from Canadian businesses that may be just the thing that the foodie in your life is looking for.

1. Fruit syrups from Summerland Sweets 

Based in Summerland, B.C., Summerland Sweets carries a variety of fruit jams and syrups sourced fresh from the Okanagan Valley. Other products also include fruit jellies and nut brittles, which all make for sweet treats. The company is family-owned and the products are made right in their production facility in Summerland. Their assorted gift packages would make for an excellent present and can pair nicely with some Christmas morning pancakes. If you’re in the Summerland area, pay a visit to their facility to see their process (and enjoy some ice cream while you’re at it).

2. Mini six-pack pepper sauces from Spice of Life

Spice of Life is a small, Toronto-based business that carries handmade hot sauces and preservatives. Their products use natural, locally sourced ingredients and are free of artificial flavourings. With a large selection of flavours, Spice of Life sauces could be a fitting gift choice for someone who likes every meal with a little bit of spice. If you’re not sure which flavour to go with, the six-pack of pepper sauces can serve as a trial for the recipient to find their favourite.

3. Loose-leaf teas from Cup of Té

Cup of Té is a Black-owned online tea retailer based in Toronto. Founded by former gymnast Taylor Lindsay-Noel, the company “take[s] pride in the quality and unique blends of [their] products while ensuring that each tea is hand selected, organic and ethically sourced.” When you shop from Cup of Té, a portion of proceeds goes to mental health awareness causes. Check out their gift ideas page for products like the iron cast teapot set or matcha whisk bundle that could make a tea lover happy in the cold weather.

4. Barrel-aged whiskey maple syrup from Wabanaki Maple

One thing this Canadian gift guide definitely needs is barrel-aged maple syrup from Wabanaki Maple, an Indigenous and women-owned company located in Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), N.B. They work to preserve the environment and Indigenous communities, and invite customers to “discover a piece of history and a taste of culture in every bottle.” Their whiskey maple syrup is a twist on traditional maple syrup culture from the Indigenous Peoples of the First Nations and is perfect for the winter. Each bottle is made using techniques that have been preserved through generations.

5. An Indigenous cuisine cookbook by Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King

This cookbook, tawâw - Progressive Indigenous Cuisine, is a great gift idea for the foodies who are also (aspiring) cooks. The book follows Chartrand’s culinary journey from childhood to adulthood — from learning to hunt and raising livestock to working as a professional chef, making this work transcend the scope of just a cookbook. It shares the meaning of cooking, eating and sharing food in Indigenous homes and communities.

6. Astrological sign resin coasters from Hando Meido Studio 

These custom star sign coasters can be a fitting gift for the astrology-obsessed friend on your list. Each coaster is handmade and can be personalized with the recipient’s name, so every time they drink their morning coffee or tea, they can save their table from stains in style. The Etsy shop, HandoMeidoStudio, ships from Toronto and offers free delivery in Canada. Check out their page for more handmade coasters and other crafty products.

7. Cookie gift box from Craig’s Cookies

With over 40,000 followers on Instagram, Craig’s Cookies is a popular Toronto destination for those with a sweet tooth, and cookies are certainly a practical gift idea for a foodie. There are over 100 cookie flavours to choose from at Craig’s, which can be overwhelming for even the biggest of cookie lovers. Luckily, the store offers gift boxes that are neatly wrapped up for any gift exchange. Those in the Greater Toronto Area can also pick up their order at a store location to avoid shipping delays — Craig’s Cookies can be found in The Village, Parkdale, Leaside, Leslieville and at Yorkdale Mall.

8. Chocolate bundle from Chachalate

A gift guide simply cannot be complete without chocolate. Chachalate is an Asian-owned chocolate company in Toronto that produces vegan chocolate. Their products come from ethically sourced cocoa beans and are all made from scratch, producing a “naturally fruity” flavour. Chachalate’s chocolate bars contain only two to five ingredients, making them a healthier alternative to mass-produced chocolates. The “build your own bundle” option is a great choice for a gift, especially if you’re finding it hard to choose from all their flavours.