Tête-à-Tête: Megan Wallace, Nutmeg Mylk
“I was really tired of the corporate world - I just didn’t fit in and I wanted freedom. I wanted a lifestyle that allowed me to make my own choices.”
About Megan
As an on-again, off-again vegetarian, I've always opted for dairy-free substitutes, but have never enjoyed the taste, consistency or ingredients used in store-bought nut milks. I fell in love with the taste and health benefits of homemade Nut Mylk and began experimenting with different ingredients, flavours, nuts and superfoods.
I've always enjoyed trying different types of food and learning about new methods and ingredients to nourish the body and mind. Overwhelmed by the joy of crafting my own Nuts Mylks and giving them to friends and family, I knew I wanted to continue to share NutMeg Mylks with others.
Recipe:
nutmeg Mylk Spiced Apple Oats
Megan: "I’m a big breakfast gal and like to mix it up (I get bored of smoothies and toast every day), this recipe is one that did not disappoint. These oats are full of fibre to keep you full longer, as well as healthy fats and protein. Also I can't help but love these seasonal spices that are perfect on a fall day!”
We connected with Megan Wallace, founder of Nutmeg Mylk, to dive in deep and discover the hidden story behind the choice to start her own business, leaving the corporate world behind to introduce the world to her health-conscious, delicious, and inspired milk alternative. Let’s get started…
@NutmegMylk on Instagram
SW: I am delighted to meet you. I purchased my first Nutmeg Mylk about a year ago and was amazed at the delicious taste. When I discovered that Nutmeg Mylk was the creation of a female entrepreneur, I knew I needed to interview you for Seasoned Women. Tell me, what was your inspiration for Nutmeg Mylk?
MW: I was really tired of the corporate world - I just didn’t fit in and I wanted freedom. I wanted a lifestyle that allowed me to make my own choices. I think I just wasn’t meant to have 9-5 lifestyle - it didn’t serve me. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to have my own business. I went to a ‘holistic nutrition’ workshop that my sister-in-law was conducting. I wanted to support her. I was so excited with what I had learned and I began creating some ‘nut’ milks at home. Friends and family gave me really positive feedback and I knew then that this is what I wanted to do.
SW: Diving right in, what is your point of difference, why is NutMeg Mylk special?
MW: We are focused on the environment, people’s bodies, women’s hormonal issues, health conscious, super foods, strive to have all of our ingredients to be organic.
SW: What challenges did you encounter?
MW: We launched in August/September 2017 and I was still working my corporate job … and I had been planning our July wedding as well as preparing our launch. It was crazy - very stressful. I finally quit my corporate life in October. I was careful as I wanted to be able to fund my business.
@NutmegMylk on Instagram
SW: What did you bring from the corporate world to your new entrepreneurial venture?
MW: My marketing skills - I never knew I was good at it until I applied my skills to my own business. I wasn’t passionate about real estate and realized, it was second nature when I was using what I knew with something I loved. I also was able to use my experience of project management to my business.
SW: Who was your first retailer?
MW: Through a mutual contact, I was introduced to Vegan Supply Chinatown - I left some samples and the rest is now history. We are now sold in the Lower Mainland in Whole Foods, Nesters (Squamish), Stongs, IGA, to name a few. Full list of retailers https://www.nutmegmylk.com/our-locations. We also sell on-line.
SW: What do you find most stressful?
MW: All of the ‘social’ stuff, the comparison. It can be very challenging.
SW: How do you decide on new products/flavours?
MW: We always have our ‘seasonal’ products. We just finished our summer offerings - The Field, a coconut, cashew Mylk with strawberries, blackberries, vanilla and maple as well as our Cold Brew, cashew milk with organic coffee, dates and cinnamon. This autumn we will be offering Pumpkin Spice and for the holidays, our NutNog. We’re proud of using exceptional nutritional ingredients, no fillers, no gums
SW: Do you follow a strict ‘vegan’ diet?
MW: I’m not a full-on vegan - I prefer to describe myself as an ‘intuitive; eater. I do strive to be mostly ‘plant-based’ but I’m not extreme about it.
@NutmegMylk on Instagram
SW: There are some people who seem to have judgement about ‘millennials’. Have you experienced this?
MW: Sometimes I hear that we (millennials) aren’t willing to work hard and that we want everything given to us - we expect everything to be easy. That’s clearly not the case with me or any of my peers.
SW: Thinking big, what is your vision for NutMeg Mylk now?
MW: When we started out, we sold litre bottles and realized, with welcomed feedback, that it was too large so we change to 500ml bottles. We now want to expand our reach to sell across Canada in retail outlets. We would be quite happy to replace conventional nut milks with NutMeg Mylk.
SW: Finally, what would you like to leave our readers with? What do you want people to know about you?
MW: That, even though it was a bit scary at first, I trusted myself and believed it would pay off.
Megan and I went back and forth a bit longer. She left us thinking over the importance of following one’s intuition. Putting your own well-being first, and discovering one’s passion that in turn you can share with the world. It’s truly an inspiring story of a young women who was able to acknowledge a lifestyle that wasn’t working for her and finding a path that felt more true to her calling.