SASKATOON — What started as a hockey rivalry and a casual conversation between friends has grown into a Canadian snack brand built on shared values, perseverance and a passion for healthy living.
Casey Parker and Austin Calladine grew up playing hockey against each other, a rivalry that extended into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. However, the two slowly became friends when an 18-year-old Parker was traded to the Flin Flon Bombers, where Calladine was already playing.
Parker had always planned to start a business. Since both were into healthy living, the idea of offering a light snack for athletes and fitness enthusiasts — without worrying about nutritional value — began to take shape. Sometime in late 2017, while playing video games, they came up with the idea of Sweet Nutrition, which offers low-sugar snack alternatives for athletes and health-conscious consumers.
Sweet Nutrition did not start in a boardroom or a commercial kitchen, but rather on a sofa,and that casual conversation between friends became the foundation of a growing Canadian snack brand. Parker and Calladine are the co-founders, with Parker serving as the company’s president and CEO, and Calladine as vice-president.
“We kept in contact even after our hockey days. We have always shared a passion for sports, healthy living, fitness and food. So, we would always be spitballing ideas when we play video games or hang out. Like, what kind of company could we start together? When we started working for the nutrition company of one of our buddies, that is when the ‘hamster wheels’ really started to turn,” said Parker.
“That’s where the idea started to flow. It was just a matter of getting started. We came up with the donuts first. We want to create a business that stands out from the rest. It was just taking the leap and seeing where things were going from there. We started in 2018,” added Calladine, who also handles the marketing and sales strategy of Sweet Nutrition.
Working at their friend’s nutrition company — which focuses on protein powders and pre-workout products — gave Parker and Calladine firsthand experience in the nutrition and supplement industry. They learned how to build a business from the ground up, including operations, branding and tracking trends in the health and wellness sector.
Their first product was a classic treat: glazed donuts, launched in 2018. Their goal was to maintain the taste and quality of a traditional donut while reducing sugar and carbohydrates and increasing protein. Early testing took place in Calladine’s grandmother’s kitchen. The donuts gained traction, and Parker and Calladine were delivering them themselves.
In 2019, they moved into a larger facility in Martensville to begin mass-producing donuts, with Calladine’s grandmother and friends helping with baking. They continued delivering orders around Saskatoon, with Parker — originally from Regina — also driving to the provincial capital. Customer feedback on taste was positive.
That hands-on approach helped build brand and product awareness. However, the protein donuts came with challenges, including limited shelf life and shipping issues, as the glaze often melted or smeared in transit, requiring freezer storage. They began exploring other snack products that could better balance taste and nutrition, including cereals, crackers, cookies and a more shelf-stable version of the donut.
They ultimately chose cookies, which could be produced without heavy upfront equipment costs, had a longer shelf life and allowed for bold, eye-catching branding. Most importantly, they achieved a taste customers enjoyed. Sweet Nutrition’s cookies launched in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic created supply-chain challenges, it also helped the business gain traction. With many buyers working remotely, orders came in by email and phone. Local retailers soon took notice, and Sweet Nutrition products began appearing at Sobeys, Safeway, Superstore and Co-op stores.
The period also allowed the founders to innovate alongside other Canadian brands such as Halo Top and Smart Sweets, as the healthy snack industry continued to evolve. Although they attempted to make the glazed protein donuts more shelf-stable, they ultimately focused on cookies, which are plant-based and suitable for vegans.
“We’ve grown the foundation of our business, and we've been running with the cookies ever since then. When we first launched the cookies, we focused on low-sugar and gluten-free options. The keto diet was trending, and over the past couple of years, our focus has shifted to high-protein, high-fibre snacks that could appeal to a broader clientele who value everyday nutrition,” said Parker.
“We're reformulating our cookies right now. As Parker said, we're trying to focus on high-protein and high-fibre options, clean ingredients and, most importantly, great taste. We're set to launch a new line of single-serve protein cookies in 2026, and we want to focus on protein snacks, so we are looking to expand our product offering outside of cookies,” added Calladine.
They are also looking to expand sales eastward, strategically region by region, which remains their immediate priority. With growing brand recognition and lessons learned over the last seven years, Parker and Calladine are also exploring opportunities in the United States and other international markets to further grow their company.
