As B.C. resident Jill Van Gyn walked towards the filming room, where she and her FATSO peanut butter would stand before the Dragon鈥檚 Den judges, Van Gyn thought she was going to throw up.
鈥淚鈥檓 always over prepared and I鈥檓 always terrified before I go in, but the moment I start to do it, it becomes super easy,鈥� Van Gyn said of her Dragon鈥檚 Den experience.
The born-and-bred Victoria woman said she originally decided to audition for the show because she loves a good challenge.
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鈥淚 thrive in those environments, the challenge of auditions and being in front of people where the wrong word could have a huge impact. I enjoy that kind of pressure, so when I heard Dragon鈥檚 Den was coming to Victoria, I thought it would be something I wanted to do,鈥� Van Gyn said.
After the audition, Van Gyn was then selected to fly to Toronto to film her segment. Then she only had a one-in-three shot of her episode actually being aired, making the price of flights and time away from her business a risk. But it鈥檚 paid off: FATSO peanut butter will be featured in the Sept. 27 episode.
Van Gyn began watching Dragon鈥檚 Den more after starting her own company. She鈥檇 study how other food entrepreneurs pitched their product and how they were evaluated.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a big fan of Arlene Dickinson,鈥� Van Gyn said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 really been able to be a strong voice in a sea of men in business.鈥�
While she can鈥檛 reveal what happened when she met the Dragons 鈥� despite many people asking if she got a deal 鈥� Van Gyn said she鈥檚 most looking forward to seeing FATSO become a recognized brand across Canada.
鈥淚t鈥檚 scary because there鈥檚 no way to quantify what happens after you get on a show like this. Are my sales going to go up? Is this going to sink me? I don鈥檛 know,鈥� Van Gyn said. 鈥淭hese are all unknowns.鈥�
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FATSO peanut butter began in Nov. 2016, and in two short years, Van Gyn has brought it from Victoria to Vancouver, and now it鈥檚 sold as far away as P.E.I. The CEO credits the local support from her fellow Victorians as helping her achieve her success.
鈥淲e have people who have really dedicated their lives to making Victoria an amazing food city, and the fact we have people who are dedicated to buying local has really held up a lot of these companies,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he support I鈥檝e enjoyed in Victoria has been fundamental in bringing FATSO into a national brand.鈥�
Her appearance on Dragon鈥檚 Den will air on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Van Gyn will be watching herself with friends and family from a private screening (complete with FATSO snacks, of course) at the Victoria Whole Foods store.
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