Sister-owned Edmonton company 7 Summit Snacks has secured a $10,000 business fund from Mastercard for its sports nutrition product — chocolate designed for workouts. The award, aimed at women-led small businesses, also includes a curated learning program to support business leadership.
From question to company
Co-founder Kristyn Carriere, a University of Alberta Bachelor of Science graduate in nutrition and food science, previously worked for Cadbury in England. She says the company started from a simple question she and her sister Leanna asked: “Can we eat chocolate while playing sports?”
Leanna, a former national team pole vaulter transitioning to endurance sports, found that many snacks on the market left her feeling unenergized. When Kristyn returned to Edmonton in 2019, the sisters partnered to found 7 Summit Snacks.
Product and funding
The company makes five chocolate energy bar flavours — four dark and one milk — sold online as a quick source of carbs, caffeine, and nutrients like iron for athletes. The $10,000 Mastercard fund will be used to boost online advertising, according to Carriere.
“We want to be able to put that money towards our online advertising spend,” she said. “That’s how we intend to use the funds.”
Ambitions for growth
Carriere draws on her Cadbury experience to drive the local company’s ascent. “I really believe that 7 Summits Snacks could be an international company,” she said. “I learned so much when I worked for Cadbury, about what consumers liked, about different snacking habits, and all the previous information helped me to conceptualize what this product would be.”
Within five years, she aims to sell 7 Summit Snacks in the United States and Europe. “And we’re doing that all here in Edmonton, because Edmonton is a great place to grow a business.”
