Nova Scotia’s Lobster Made Easy ‘pivots’ after Hurricane Set Back, Lands in Toronto for Holidays

December 14, 2022 – Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
After enduring stormy seas following their reveal and debut on CBC’s Dragons’ Den in September, Nova Scotia’s Lobster Made Easy has been pivoting, thinking outside the pot. Banding together, they’ve landed themselves a couple of unique locations and are launching new products, just in time for the Holiday Season.

Good on their promise, Lobster Made Easy, is now making it easy for lobster lovers in Toronto and Halifax, to enjoy lobster in their homes.

Following the airing of Dragons’ Den on September 15th, Mark Lowe, CEO and Founder of Lobster Made Easy, says he was overwhelmed by the incredible outpouring of support, demand and appetite for their signature product, east coast landed, microwavable frozen, pre-streamed, whole lobster.

“From coast to coast in Canada and even from the US, the volume of emails and messages we received was overwhelming,” says Lowe, “everyone wanted to know when our lobster would be available in their neighbourhood grocery store. It was very exciting.”

Momentum was building, plans unfolding, and then Hurricane Fiona struck. There’s not a lot that can take the wind out of Lowe’s sails, but when his partnering lobster supplying company, Victoria Co-operative Fisheries Ltd. based in Neil’s Harbour, Cape Breton, literally had their foundation ripped out from under them, it was an unexpected set back.

While officials in Neil’s Harbour reassured Lowe they would be back in operation by spring 2023 to prepare and pack Lowe’s microwavable lobster was great news, it fell well short of the deadline to be ready for Christmas, as originally planned. Determined to keep the momentum rolling, Lowe ‘pivoted’, as he has always done with his businesses, literally ‘thinking outside the pot’, again.

With the Holiday Season approaching, Lowe pivoted indeed. Setting out to leverage their mobile lobster trailer and signature Lobster Roll product he’d created and had been selling from their Mahone Bay location, this fall they popped up at the Halifax Seaport Market and Saltscapes Harvest Greets the Holidays Expo, with great success.

It was November when Lobster Made Easy caught the eye of the famous, and popular, Distillery District in Toronto. Taking them up on their invitation, with less than two weeks to prepare, on November 17h, Lobster Made Easy opened their ‘Lobster Shack’ within the 2022 Distillery Winter Village, the only east coast and lobster serving vendor among the collection of 22 seasonal vendors.

Lowe says it’s been interesting in Toronto, suggesting they are an anomaly. “Guests of the Winter Village have been curious, and even a little hesitant. They’re not used to having direct access to quality Nova Scotia Lobster in Toronto, and served by a Nova Scotia company”, says Lowe. “When they realize we’re legitimate, serving ‘real’, delicious lobster, they are thrilled.”

The Toronto experience has been full of surprises says Lowe, and it started on opening-eve. Gathering for the mandatory Health and Safety Meeting, all of the seasonal vendors received an early Christmas gift from Google, a $10,000.00 contribution to support operational costs within the Market. Starting from scratch in Toronto, Lowe says it certainly was welcomed and appreciated.

Now established, they are part of the Winter Village until New Year’s Eve. In Halifax, Lowe has set up shop at the Evergreen Festival on the waterfront, which is now in their final week. Located within the Evergreen Market is nestled among a collection of light installations along the waterfront boardwalk. Unlike the Toronto Market, it’s an all-Nova Scotia line up of businesses, small, unique local businesses. Proudly serving their signature lobster rolls, this location also offers a snow crab roll infused with locally sourced, Hot Under the Kilt seasoning from Chef Alain Bosse, The Kilted Chef.

True to their commitment to making lobster easy to enjoy, Lowe says, given the demand and interest, just in time for the Holidays they have launched a new product, Lobster Made Easy lobster packs to be enjoyed at home. Available as 1lb and 2lbs packs of frozen, cooked, Nova Scotia lobster claws and knuckles, it’s the same lobster they use in their Lobster Made Easy lobster rolls.

Once again, Lowe says it was another pivot for the new business. Three months after the airing of their segment on Dragons’ Den, inquiries are rolling in asking where they can pick-up their microwavable lobster. “There’s nothing worse in business than creating demand, and not have the product to meet it,” says Lowe. “Given how much folks have enjoyed the lobster we serve within our lobster rolls, I realized we could in fact provide our unique packaged lobster itself, honouring our mission to make local Nova Scotia lobster easy to get and enjoy at home now - just in a different way.”

Lobster Made Easy will continue serving their signature lobster rolls at the Distillery Winter Village in Toronto, Evergreen Festival in Halifax and now with the launch of a new online ordering, customers wanting lobster for the holidays can pick it up and take it home from locations in Toronto, Halifax and Mahone Bay.

This small, Nova Scotia locally owned, company definitely continues to live by its motto, “think outside the pot” and making lobster easy to enjoy.

​For more information about Lobster Made Easy, hours of operation at the Holiday Markets and order your lobster meat packs, visit www.lobstermadeeasy.com