Jean-Rock Beaudoin has spent his life in…slush! And he wouldn’t have changed a thing for all the tea in China. “When you grow up and your father is the President of Slush Puppie Canada, you just know that you have the coolest dad in the world,” he points out.
By the time he was 10 years old, he knew that he would someday take over the business. “My father was respected and admired in the community, and he seemed to have lots of money,” he laughs. “For a child, that’s pretty impressive, and I just wanted to be like him!”
When he was 13, Jean-Rock Beaudoin started working for the company, with occasional stints on the production line.
Upon completing his studies in 1994, he officially joined the company, expecting to get his own office where he could hang his university diploma. He was in for a surprise. “Instead of offering me a management position with the company, my father made me work as a slush machine technician. I was also responsible for buying parts for the repairs. My father let me know in no uncertain terms that I had to learn the ropes, and that it would take me at least five years to get that particular degree.”
By his own admission, Mr. Beaudoin was not particularly good at the manual work. His father quickly offered him a sales job with the London division in Ontario, where he was really able to prove himself. He then spent two years with the Montréal division, and finally returned to the Outaouais in 1999.
In the early 2000s, at the age of 30, Jean-Rock Beaudoin officially took over the business. “My father had undergone a quadruple bypass and was gradually retiring. He had decided to enjoy life. Although I was still young, I felt ready, particularly since my father was never more than a phone call away if I needed his advice.”
Mr. Beaudoin went on to develop the Maritimes market, which currently represents approximately 15% of the company’s sales. He also invested in modernizing the Gatineau plant by integrating automated systems into the production chain.
A new product
Jean-Rock Beaudoin is particularly proud of Slush Puppie Plus, a health-conscious version of the original product, made from sugar-free apple juice. The product is distributed in schools, hospitals and municipal recreation centres and arenas. “More and more, municipalities are eliminating junk food from their sports centres, and we are offering them Slush Puppie Plus as a healthy alternative. The same thing happened at the mont Saint-Bruno ski centre in Montérégie, where the original Slush Puppy has been completely eliminated from the cafeteria and replaced by the health-conscious version.”
The R&D investment required to create this new product was made possible through the support provided by Développement économique – CLD Gatineau, which guided the company through the different tax credits.
In Canada for almost 40 years
The Slush Puppie trademark was created in the 1970s in Cincinnati, in the United States. In 1975, André Beaudoin, Jean-Rock’s father, met the company’s owner at a trade fair in San Diego. He bought 10 slush machines and in return requested exclusive rights to the Canadian market. This was how Canada became the first country outside the United States to distribute the Slush Puppie trademark slush.
The Gatineau company has since sold its rights in western Canada, retaining only the markets in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. The Gatineau office is the head office for all of the franchises and corporate offices in the territory.
The company currently has 7,000 slush machines distributed among convenience stores, canteens, restaurants, arenas and movie theatres.
According to Mr. Beaudoin, the challenge now is to remain a “cool” product after almost 40 years in existence, while adapting to society’s interest in healthy living.
Pratical information
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What made you decide to start up this business?
My father was a successful businessman who was well respected in the region. This was why I also wanted to become an entrepreneur by taking over the family business.
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Why Gatineau?
In 2004 we thought about moving the company’s head office to Montréal to get closer to Sucre Lantic, one of our major suppliers. The goal was to save on transportation costs. But we soon changed our minds. On the one hand, it was cheaper to deliver throughout the territory from Gatineau. In addition, the quality of life here is exceptional.
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In your opinion, what advantages does Gatineau have over Ottawa?
Gatineau is where my father started up the business almost 40 years ago, and this is where we built up our network of contacts. In addition, most of the staff live on the Quebec side. For Slush Puppie, it’s a logical choice.
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What are the advantages of working for yourself?
An entrepreneur has control over his/her destiny. He can carry out his projects without having his hands tied. In fact, it is much easier and more pleasant to implement you own visions than those of someone else.
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What surprised you the most about the business world?
The impact of stress on human beings. Entrepreneurs tend to work non-stop for hours on end. You have to learn to eliminate the stressors in your environment, which are most perceptible when you are between 35 and 40 years old. Personally, my stress comes from the fact that I had to fill my father’s shoes. I had to integrate sports into my daily routine, stop smoking and cut out coffee. Also, I am more and more inclined to go home after work instead of going to all the dinners and after-work business get-togethers.
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To what do you attribute your business success?
I am always visible in the business, and I have a good team. Investing in R&D is also a determining factor. Within the company, we have learned to grab every opportunity that comes up.
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What were your toughest challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Until the early 2000s, our slush was distributed to 500 Couche-Tard convenience stores. We were hit hard when Alimentation Couche-Tard decided to launch its own brand. We had to rebuild the market and develop new niches to quickly make up for this loss.
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What does it take to succeed in business today?
In my opinion, you need a university degree in an area that is appropriate for your sector. As well, entrepreneurs have to surround themselves with professionals who will be able to advise them. If a business does not have a board of directors, it must at least hire a professional to check the books on a regular basis.
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What advice would you give someone who is thinking of starting up a business?
A good business plan gives you a chance to ask all of the pertinent questions from the outset. It helps determine whether the project has a sustainable competitive advantage, which is absolutely essential.
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How did Développement économique – CLD Gatineau contribute?
Recently, when I attempted to redefine the vision and values of Slush Puppie, I approached DE – CLDG to find out how to go about it. I was immediately referred to Simbal, a Gatineau business that offers this type of service. I was also pointed in the direction of Emploi-Québec, which covers the cost of training for heads of businesses.
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