Yves Potvin

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Yves Potvin is a Canadian entrepreneur, credited with inventing the plant-based hot dog. He is the founder of Yves Veggie Cuisine and Gardein, two plant-based food companies that he later sold. He later founded the plant-based seafood company Konscious Foods and is the majority owner of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.

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Early life and education

Potvin was born in Quebec and is the fourth of five children. He grew up in Sherbrooke and attended cooking school for two years prior to running a French nouvelle cuisine restaurant. [1]

Career

Potvin founded Yves Fine Foods in 1985. The company later became Yves Veggie Cuisine in 1992. [2] Yves Veggie Cuisine manufactured plant-based food and Potvin is credited with creating the world's first veggie hot dog. [3] [4] He sold the brand to Hain Celestial Group in 2002. [5] In 2003, Potvin launched Gardein, [6] a meat-free food brand. [1] He sold the company to Pinnacle Foods in 2014. [7]

Yves became the majority owner of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in 2018. [6] In 2021, he founded Konscious Foods, a plant-based seafood company. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 Hampson, Sarah (30 March 2011). "Gardein Protein founder reveals his recipe for success". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  2. ↑ William-Ross, Lindsay (28 August 2025). "A 40-year-old Canadian plant-based food brand is being discontinued, and people are outraged". Business Intelligence for B.C. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  3. ↑ McLaclan, Stacey (3 June 2024). "The Veggie Dog King Is Taking on the Seafood Industry, One Frozen 'Tuna' Roll at a Time". Vancourver Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  4. ↑ Hsu, Tiffany (20 July 2014). "How I Made It Yves Potvin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  5. ↑ Korstrom, Glen (8 March 2018). "Yves Veggie Cuisine founder Yves Potvin buys culinary school". Business In Vancouver. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 Perkins, Martha (31 March 2018). "Yves Potvin brings his entrenpreneurial success to Vancouver culinary school". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  7. ↑ Or, Amy (14 November 2014). "TSG Consumer Partners to Sell Gardein to Pinnacle Foods". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  8. ↑ Korstrom, Glen (15 August 2023). "Yves Potvin's latest plant-based-food business nets $26m in venture funding". Business Intelligence for B.C. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
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