BCBusiness

57 B C B U S I N E S S . C A J U N E 2 0 2 5 57 B C B U S I N E S S . C A J U N E 2 0 2 5 " "WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT if they had a bottled cosmo?" Olivia Lovenmark-Hay joked to her now husband on a flight from New York in 2019. But after she did some research, her casual comment evolved into a legitimate business opportunity. "It wasn't just a cute idea," she says. "I felt like women OLIVIA LOVENMARK-HAY F O U N D E R A N D C E O, C O U P E B E V E R A G E S were an underserved cate- gory in the alcohol industry, period. From decision-makers to products on the shelf—just underrepresented." So, she launched Coupe Bev- erages and its main brand Duch- ess Cocktails in December 2020. Since then, Lovenmark-Hay's self-funded business has grown exponentially, and not just in additional cocktail flavour options, like lemon drop and espresso martini. I n l a t e 2 02 3, C o u p e launched DuchessDry—the non-alcoholic companion to the signature Duchess line. It absolutely took off in early 2024 and the company's non- alc product sales are growing at a faster rate than their alco- holic counterparts. Coupe has also moved to a larger factory in East Vancouver after launch- ing a co-packing business with other beverage companies. The success has enabled Loven- mark-Hay to hire new employ- ees, growing the team last year from two to eight. Now, Coupe is eyeing international expan- sion to Europe and Asia. Seeing this growth has been "surreal" for Lovenmark-Hay. "We're in good seven figures. We've expanded across many provinces in the past 12 months, which I'm very proud of given the amount of challenges that we had to surmount on the per- sonal side this year," she says. If business wasn't busy enough, shortly after giv- ing birth to her son, Loven- mark-Hay was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer in June 2024. She temporarily stepped back from the busi- ness to undergo radiation and chemotherapy—all while being a new mom. "I think I'm still processing it, quite honestly," she says. "I'm grateful that, in terms of being a founder and in busi- ness, this was the year we could handle this personal blow." In mid-February, she got the call from her doctor that she was cancer-free. With all that behind her, Lovenmark-Hay has her eye on the prize, aiming to hit the eight-figure mark in the next few years. "This has been the fruits of our labour really com- ing to fruition," she explains. She hopes to start giving back and supporting other female entrepreneurs in male-domi- nated industries. "I was doing a tasting in a store, and I was chatting with one of the guys, and he said to me, 'I'm really glad to see Duch- ess doing well in our store; I wasn't sure when it first came in.' And I said, 'Why is that?'" she recalls. "He was like, 'Well, I just couldn't see myself bring- ing it to a barbecue.' ...I said, 'With all due respect, I don't want you to bring it to a bar- becue. I mean, I'd love it if you did, but I don't need you to do that. I designed this for your friend, your girlfriend, your wife, your sister—for the women at the party. I didn't design this for you. There's enough stuff on the shelf that's designed for you.'"–S.J. "I designed this for your friend, your girlfriend, your wife, your sister— for the women at the party."

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