Délicouki Brings Nutrition and Fun to Breakfast Programs

For Breakfast Club of Canada, making sure 580,000 children get a healthy start to their day through school nutrition programs across the country is a top priority. BCC is fortunate to work with some very generous and engaged partners at the local level to make this happen. Délicouki is one of these partners.

They are the makers of snack foods inspired by traditional Quebec recipes. They pride themselves on combining great taste and great nutrition, with an irresistible variety of foods that tickle youngsters’ taste buds. Délicouki joined forces with BCC in 2017. They have learned the ins and outs of school nutrition in the years since, working with nutritionists to adjust their recipes in accordance with the Club’s guidelines. Today, they provide wholesome snack foods to 542 schools across Quebec, putting smiles on the faces of more than 79,000 children.

An indomitable spirit of innovation 

Adapting Délicouki’s products was no easy task. Preserving the texture was the key to making sure each snack remained fresh and good to eat for as long as possible.  

Innovation has always been one of the company’s core values, so they embraced the challenge of reformulating their products to help broaden children’s palates, using a wide range of healthy ingredients selected to appeal to appetites of all ages. It was also important to bear in mind children’s specific nutritional needs in the morning, which aren’t the same as, say, an adult getting ready for a hike. “Every province and every customer has their own set of requirements. We work hand in hand with each of them to come up with solutions that meet their nutritional specifications without compromising on taste and texture,” said Isabelle St-Amand, Chief Operating Officer. 

They were originally approached by the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal to make a date-based breakfast cookie. It wasn’t long until several other school service centres showed interest in Délicouki’s products as well. The company’s offering has since grown and diversified, with several new foods, flavours and formats. They became so busy, in fact, that they had to move into a bigger space to keep up with the growing demand for healthy, delicious snack items.  

“At Délicouki, we believe that the next generation is our hope for a fairer and more equitable future. Feeding children now means helping them to achieve their full potential. We share this vision with the Club. Nobody can learn on an empty stomach,” said Isabelle, before going on to describe the many advantages of serving a nutritionally balanced breakfast at school. “We know that there are lots of children in Quebec and across Canada who don’t get enough to eat in the morning. And the problem isn’t limited to inner cities or underprivileged families. The positive impacts of breakfast go beyond the students themselves to benefit entire school communities and society as a whole.” Délicouki firmly believes that food brings people together and breaks down barriers, and that snack time is when connections are made, friendships are formed, an intergenerational dialogue emerges and schoolyard conversations begin.  

Breakfast Club of Canada could not agree more. Claudine Dessureault, BCC’s National Senior Advisor, Purchasing and Inventory, said, “Ultimately, the reason we work with Délicouki is because it makes kids happy. Students love the yummy food they make, and we love their willingness to collaborate with us to develop special products for our organization. They’re also extremely reliable: they always deliver the quantities we need, when we need them. Clearly, this collaboration between Délicouki and Breakfast Club of Canada is a winning recipe.” 

And psst! We’ve got a bit of a scoop for you! Délicouki is currently developing on a brand-new flavour for the Club. Be sure to watch our updates to find out what it is!