‘THINK, EAT, CHANGE’: Transforming the plant-based restaurant experience at Copper Branch
Trish Paterson, CEO of Copper Branch on how the company’s commitment to sustainable practice and community-focused approach to finding partners in its supply chain have driven its success within the plant-based restaurant space.
WHEN TRISH PATERSON JOINED COPPER BRANCH IN 2016 AS A FRANCHISEE, HER
ONTARIO
STORE WAS
THE
FIRST TIME THE CANADIAN PLANT-BASED EATERY HAD EXPANDED BEYOND THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC.
rish quickly began to appreciate the burgeoning interest people had in plantbased options as she flourished within her role at the company and, soon after COVID-19 hit in June 2020, she was made CEO.
“I saw the vision of where we wanted to take the brand, to bring it to that international level,” says Trish. “At that point in 2020 we were – like everyone in the food service industry – in a state of turmoil, so we were looking at restructuring the company to make us stronger.”
Copper Branch’s restructuring emerged after an acquisition by restaurant franchisor Foodtastic, which Trish credits as being a transformative player in the brand’s growth – leading the company to become one of the world’s largest plant-based restaurant chains.
“We tapped into Foodtastic’s marketing, supply chain and culinary strengths, leveraging that broad food service knowledge, and now we’ve got a little more muscle behind us,” says Trish. “Being as niche as we are, we always need to make sure we’re prioritising the customer experience, and they’ve been an incredibly supportive factor within that.”
As Copper Branch leans into its post COVID-19 era, the company is focusing on doing what it can to benefit both its loyal customers and the planet.
“Sustainability is in our DNA,” says Trish. “Being a plant-based brand, the very nature of our business and menu are focused on sustainable practice, but we’re always looking beyond that to see what more we can do. For instance, most of our packaging is recyclable and we’ve used compostable cutlery since 2017, long before it was mandated. It is
embedded in our core as a company to keep moving in that direction.
“Our motto is ‘Think, eat, change,’ and we firmly believe in considering our customers’ dietary needs with our menus, while also connecting them to sustainability in what we do. We’re working to reinforce that link in our customers’ minds between what you’re eating, environmental impacts, personal health and animal welfare. There’s so much we can do with food, and that’s why we continue to encourage that idea of change to our customers. Everyone wants to do their part and we are just providing a vehicle for people to contribute in some small way to making the world a better place.”
The concept of change within the company’s motto manifests directly in Copper Branch’s menu – the business is always investigating what new plantbased products customers are looking for, and seeking innovative suppliers which can help them deliver on these emerging demands.
“When we talk about menu innovation, we have to talk about our partnerships,” says Trish. “It’s a privilege to work with like-minded vendors who understand the products we need in order to fit our nutritional requirements – we’re not interested in serving heavily processed food.
“When we’re developing our menu, we start by looking at what’s trending in the industry. Although we’re a plant-based restaurant, we’re not just
targeting a vegan audience. We’re just interested in ensuring that we are creating great food that anyone can enjoy.
“Our focus is initially on texture and flavour. This can be challenging in the plant-based world, because you’re not dealing with chicken, pork and beef, you’re dealing with beans, lentils and mushrooms. Our job is to figure out how we can get that same flavour, texture and nutritional value on a plant-based plate.
“This is a different approach to how a traditional restaurant would develop a menu, so we seek out innovation in the wider industry, which we’re seeing in spades. We look for innovative companies doing new things in the food space, and then explore how we can implement these innovations into our menu. Our goal is to have something for everyone, including a robust catering menu that is designed to accommodate everything from the office party to a weekend chalet getaway.”
According to Trish, a particular challenge for Copper Branch within its menu innovation endeavours has been finding a suitable cheese supplier.
“One of the main reasons people always give for not being able to go plantbased is that they can’t give up cheese,” says Trish. “Finding good cheese in the plant-based world is a major challenge –you need stretch, you need flavour, and you don’t want that specific aftertaste or mouthfeel that some of the products on the market have.
“WE’VE WORKED WITH MANY, MANY CHEESE PROVIDERS IN THE PAST, BUT NOTHING WAS GIVING US QUITE WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. AT THE SAME TIME, WE WERE LAUNCHING AN ENTIRE SISTER BRAND CALLED SERENITY PIZZA, AND WE NEEDED AMAZING CHEESE TO GET THAT OFF THE GROUND. IN THE END, WE FOUND UPFIELD”
“We’ve worked with many, many cheese providers in the past, but nothing was giving us quite what we were looking for. At the same time, we were launching an entire sister brand called Serenity Pizza, and we needed amazing cheese to get that off the ground.
“In the end, we found Upfield. Their chefs were super collaborative with us, coming to our test kitchen and working with our chef. One of the biggest challenges at Copper Branch is that we don't have deep fryers or grills, because we try to stay away from frying our food. Instead, we use steam and convection ovens, which can really impact how cheese performs. Upfield sat down with us and helped us carefully evaluate how cheese would perform under specific circumstances. It took several weeks and several iterations of the product, but it’s been a huge success and we’re currently using them on about six of our current menu
items.”
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“WE ALWAYS LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE LOCAL INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURERS PRODUCING SIMILAR PRODUCTS THAT WE CAN WORK INTO OUR MENU”
However, with the company growing globally Copper Branch is having to widen its supplier network beyond its existing partner system.
“With a Canadian brand like Copper Branch we’re typically using Canadian vendors, because we prioritise using domestic suppliers,” says Trish. “However, we have stores all around the world, so it doesn’t make sense to export products from Canada to France. In France, for example, Copper Branch works mainly with French suppliers such as Heura, La Vie Food and Planted.”
“Joining forces with partners like Heura, who are committed to the plant-based market, helps to consolidate our positioning as a plant-based canteen,” says Charlotte Calvet, Director of Operations at Copper Branch France.
“We always look to see if there are local innovative manufacturers producing similar products that we can work into our menu,” says Trish. “We’re currently in discussions with a company doing unbelievable things with shitake mushrooms, and we’re considering bringing them onto our menu at our European and North American stores.”
Finding innovative new products and suppliers is simple, Trish explains, when
Charlotte
Calvet, Director of Operations at Copper Branch France
you’ve built up a robust network in the plant-based community.
“It’s all about getting close to the vendor community and giving back,” explains Trish. “This is easy in the plant-based community, because it’s a small world, and we’re all pretty close as a sector. We’re always trying to find ways to bring the truly innovative food companies we meet to life. At the same time, due to our focus on positive change, we also have many opportunities to work with various incredible partners in the field.”
“Copper Branch is more than just plant-based food,” says WesleyAnne Rodrigues, Director of Marketing at Copper Branch. “The brand's ethos comes from an inbuilt desire to do good and nurture community.
We're always looking for ways the brand can extend into outreach and cause-led partnerships. Some of the organisations we've worked with in the past include Vegan Women Summit, Canadian Cancer Society and Rainforest Trust to name a few. Our upcoming Benevolent Burger will be donating a portion of sales to The Burnt Chef Project, an organisation that strives for mental health and wellness within the hospitality industry.”
Copper Branch has been looking into new ways to find innovative vendors approaching meat substitutes differently. One of the company’s biggest successes in this area was in 2022, when in collaboration with the Vegan Women’s Summit, it held
WesleyAnne Rodrigues, Director of Marketing at Copper Branch
an international competition for manufacturers.
“With this competition, we wanted to give food manufacturers a launchpad through Copper Branch into food service,” says Trish. “While these companies had been creating some unbelievable products, many of them had faced challenges in the supply chain and hadn’t been able to break into the food service industry yet.
“The winner of that competition was a company named Atlas Monroe, from San Francisco. They had created a beautiful chicken product that we made used for a Nashville chicken sandwich, which ended up being potentially one of our most successful limited time offers (LTOs) ever.”
The company’s current LTO at the time of writing – a gochujang tofu bowl and gochujang tofu bao buns – has also been a huge success, thanks to Copper Branch’s Culinary Nutritionist Ilona Spudas’ ability to discern leading market trends.
“Being able to create and share menu items that are plant-based is truly a dream come true,” says Ilona. “It’s how I eat outside of work and so luckily for me, it feels almost effortless. A lot of people want to eat more plant-based foods, but unless it’s both delicious, and maybe something a little different, it’s hard to guarantee a repeat visit. The goal is to have guests crave Copper Branch, and feel good when they eat it.
“A great way to push innovation is through ethnic flavours. I love to travel and try ethnic foods – grocery store visits in different countries are essential stops on any trip! Our Gochujang Tofu LTO, made with fermented chilli paste that hits on many levels – spicy, sweet and smoky. Combined with Tofu, it incorporates everything I believe in: fresh, whole foods made with ingredients that are a little different and packed with flavour!”
“Our team is incredible at knowing the market, and what flavours are trending,” celebrates Trish. “They’ve built this beautiful dish which hit the market relatively recently and it’s been incredibly successful. We wouldn’t be where we are today without our culinary team.”
The company is in a strong position today, but as Trish looks ahead to
Ilona Spudas, Copper Branch’s Culinary Nutritionist
Angelo Ragas, Director of Operations at Copper Branch
the future, she’s prioritising careful, sustained growth at Copper Branch. “Right now, we’re focusing on stabilising, and ensuring that we’re in the right markets,” says Trish. “It’s a challenging time for plant-based companies, so we are focusing on our franchisee health.”
“The challenge is being able to offer delicious food and an incredible experience while being efficient operationally and without having a negative financial impact on franchisees,” says Angelo Ragas, Director of Operations at Copper Branch. “We are constantly trying to innovate our recipe preparation
process to make it easier for staff to create our meals and sourcing the best quality products we can while keeping food costs in line. Stabilising the network also sometimes means being as flexible as possible when it comes to non-standard opportunities for our franchisees. We are often on the lookout and supporting the development of custom catering options for local community groups, identifying alternative retail or grocer opportunities, and assisting in the planning and execution of local events.
“It isn't always easy in today's market, and it's often a bit of a balancing act, but with every improvement and with
every step that we make just that little bit easier and more cost-effective so our franchisees can spend more time getting our food to more people.”
“Visiting stores and interacting face-to-face with franchisees is a vital part of creating a healthy and successful franchise system,” says Clayton Paterson, Regional Operations Manager. “More importantly than conducting simple compliance and quality checks, it allows our operations team to check in with the franchisee and their teams to ensure their business is running as smoothly and effectively as it can. Whether that involves discussing local marketing opportunities, or looking at budget plans, or providing general business advice – establishing that trust and working relationship between the operations team on the ground and the franchisee is vital. When I can
Clayton Paterson, Regional Operations Manager
“IT IS EXCITING TO THINK ABOUT WHERE THIS BRAND IS HEADING, AND WHILE WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WE DON’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING TOO FAST”
walk out of a meeting with a franchisee smiling and knowing we accomplished something productive together, there’s no better feeling in my work day than that.”
“In addition to our robust operating procedures, we also look to technology to improve productivity and the guest experience,” says Trish. “We’re fortunate that we’ve got some fantastic tech solutions such as our online ordering app and a robust loyalty programme, so we’re really leaning into those dynamics as well. This includes distributing engaging content, regular updates and targeted advertising to reach our audience.”
“By leveraging our social media platforms, we can connect with
Frank Di Tomasso, Marketing Manager at Copper Branch
our guests, promote new offerings, and gather valuable feedback,” says Frank Di Tomasso, Marketing Manager at Copper Branch. “This comprehensive approach not only enhances our brand visibility but also fosters a deeper connection with our community, ultimately driving customer loyalty and satisfaction.”
“It is exciting to think about where this brand is heading, and while we are always looking at development opportunities, we don’t want to do anything too fast,” summarises Trish. “It’s all about nurturing what we have, making sure our growth is stable and prioritising longevity in the market.”
Learn more about Copper Branch at eatcopperbranch.com.
ADDED VALUE
PODCASTS
“I have a long commute to work every day, because I live outside of the city,” says Trish. “The beauty of that is that it gives me a lot of time to listen to podcasts, so I’ve spent a lot of time finding the ones that work for me.
“I’ve been listening to Simon Sinek’s ‘A Bit of Optimism’ podcast recently. He tends to focus on positive themes and self-improvement, which is exactly what I’m looking for in a podcast. I found his episode ‘The War On The Young’ with Professor Scott Galloway so interesting – they discussed the mental health and confidence pressures placed on masculinity in young boys. Having three sons myself it’s an incredibly important topic.
“I’m very focused on how we can make change happen, so everything I listen to is aligned to change in some way, whether it’s about making the world a better place for the next generation or helping ourselves get through the day.
STAYING INVOLVED
“I challenge our team to stay involved in their communities, because part of what makes the franchise system at Copper Branch so successful is local flair,” says Trish. “You’ll see our stores carrying products from their specific communities and staying engaged within the local plant-based space. We’re not rigid as a franchise system – if you submit a request, we’ll generally approve it.”
Connect with Trish