Entrepreneur Spotlight Series: Yvonnick Le Lorec

We care about our entrepreneurs and follow them on their journey! Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to a series of successful entrepreneurs from Manitoba. Today, we invite you to discover the inspiring story of Yvonnick Le Lorec from  Ker Breizh.

Yvonnick Le Lorec

What products or services do you offer?

We offer a catering service, more specifically crepes and buckwheat pancakes. We also offer various Breton pastries for sale. We also try to educate our customers about our heritage and the history of Brittany.

How did you get the idea to start your business?

Ketty and I lived in Winnipeg for a while, and then we moved back to Brittany where we opened up our own café. A few years later, we came back to Winnipeg. There were very few creameries here, so it really was the perfect place to start a Breton crêperie business.

How do you find new ideas?

We do research, we watch TV shows, we travel, we like to meet people and have them share things with us. Often, afterward, we will say to ourselves: “Hey, what if we worked with this product?”

How do you make sure you reach your goals?

We don’t set big goals. We are still developing. Moreover, we are in a pandemic, so it’s a tricky time for the food industry. We try to do what we can handle.

The proudest moment of your entrepreneurial career?

The success of our first café project in Brittany. It was a real success. It was so popular that the layout of the building became too small! We are also proud of the fact that this is the second year that we have maintained a turnover despite the pandemic. We are very happy with that, and with the fact that we won the Fosse aux Lions. But it was a lot of work and stress!

What other local businesses inspire you?

Hermann Grauer of Nature’s Farm. He really started from scratch, he had to fix up a farm and build a whole business. I find him very interesting.

In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge that you face with regard to entrepreneurship?

In Winnipeg, the biggest challenge is that we are a Francophone minority. We sometimes have to fight to get services in French.

Where are you from and why did you choose to start your business in Winnipeg?

I am originally from Nantes, in France. I grew up in the Pays de la Loire region, and then I travelled quite a bit. We had already been to Winnipeg with Ketty, so we already knew the place. When we left Winnipeg the first time, we hadn’t finished our story here.

Which book inspired you the most?

I am not the biggest reader, but I like reading athletes’ biographies and stories about people who accomplished extraordinary things. For instance, Mike Horn’s book, “Antarctica Crossing,” or Guirec Soudée’s autobiography, “le monde selon Guirec et Monique.”

Web site: https://www.kerbreizhcrepe.ca/