Arlene Dickinson shaking the hands of Andreina and Oscar Chavez. (Supplied by CBC)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge company strikes a deal with Dragon’s Den’s Arlene Dickinson

Oct 26, 2019 | 6:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The owners of FresK-O Cheese received offers from two of the Dragons when they appeared on the hit CBC show on Thursday.

Andreina and Oscar Chavez went on the show to ask for $200,000 in exchange for 20% of their business.

They spoke to LNN before the episode aired, saying they need the extra cash flow to increase their production.

Although the company currently sells to stores in Alberta like Sobey’s, Safeway, Sunterra Market in Calgary, and Save-On-Foods, the investment would allow them to get into Superstore, Whole Foods, Costco, and Walmart, while also starting to export to the United States.

All five Dragons appeared impressed by FresK-O Cheese’s sales so far.

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In their first year of operation in Lethbridge, they did $400,000 and are projecting revenues of $600,000 this year. The family has invested over $700,000 to date.

Manjit Minhas and Arlene Dickinson offered the Chavez’s $200,000 for 25% of the company, which is a slightly higher stake than the brother and sister duo initially wanted.

They went with Dickinson due to her connections to major retailers.

Dickinson said she wanted to address challenges the company faces or might face like shipping, packaging, and the general public’s awareness of their traditional Latin American style cheeses.

When Andreina and Oscar walked backstage, Andreina teared up.

“I’m so flattered. This opportunity was amazing,” says Andreina.

“They saw our love for the product and we are very pleased with it,” added Oscar.

The full episode can be watched online for free on CBC Gem here.