E-Dacious Joins E-Commerce With ShopHERE Powered By Google

Dee Sarwan was a licensed hairdresser, colour specialist, and educator before her medical condition forced her to leave her profession behind. She endured countless sleepless nights for two and a half years, when finally Dee turned to her South American roots to naturally solve her medical issues. She started to follow a strict nutrition plan by incorporating cultural foods that were naturally gluten free. Dee noticed that interest started to grow in the gluten and dairy-free market, as people started to learn about the hairdresser’s unique health solutions. This led to a new beginning for Dee and the launch of E-dacious. 

E-dacious is a Toronto-based business which manufactures healthy baking premixes that are vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened. The Cookie Premixes are easy to prepare and personalize, and are perfect for people with dietary restrictions as well as those who are concerned about their sugar intake. E-dacious also offers the She Bakes: Gluten Dairy Gum Free cookbook which contains a compilation of recipes for the DIY-lovers who prefer to unleash their creativity in the comfort of their own kitchen. 

Dee Sarwan had big plans on the horizon for 2020 to launch her E-dacious brand at the Free From Allergen Expo on April 4. Unfortunately, this dream was put on hold when the Ontario government declared a state of emergency and placed the province on lockdown due to COVID-19.  

“As a small business owner these past two months were nothing short of a devastating nightmare,” says Dee.

“I have a lot of dollars invested in developing products, buying ingredients, packaging, marketing materials. I have also made investments to participate in the various trade shows and markets. None of these events took place and none of my investments were refunded.” As a new brand, E-dacious had only just started gaining exposure and building a customer base. The company’s initial brand-building strategies mainly focused on event marketing. Once E-dacious reached an acceptable distribution level, Dee would invest funds in launching an online store. However, the current environment created by COVID-19 made it extremely difficult for the business to get their products into the hands of customers. As a result, it was crucial to adjust the business model immediately by launching an online store. 

Fortunately, the ShopHERE Powered By Google Program equipped Dee with the tools and resources she needed to have her eCommerce business up and running quicker than ever.

“The efficiency and speed with which the ShopHERE program builds a Shopify site is admirable. [Setting up an online store] can be an intimidating process for most small business owners. If I had to do it myself, it might have taken some time to figure out how to configure the various elements since I do not have a systems or technical background.”

ShopHERE has helped small businesses such as E-dacious transition to an eCommerce business, and provided them with an opportunity to gain online exposure. With the help of this program, Dee has overcome a huge barrier by making her products accessible to the public. However, she is still working to conquer the digital world. Now that she has officially launched her E-dacious Shopify store, Dee continues to work with the Digital Main Street (DMS) team to develop new marketing and advertising strategies for her business. With a unique product positioned in a growing market, DMS holds out high hopes for E-dacious. Once the small business graduates from the ShopHERE program, we firmly believe the team will be well on their way to success. We can’t wait to see what Dee Sarwan and her business will accomplish! For more updates on Dee and E-dacious, take a look at the online store here.