VICTORIA, BC – As younger, more informed consumers increasingly make healthier decisions regarding wellness a part of their daily routine, businesses built around healthy eating and active lifestyles are looking to capitalize on the trend.
HEAL Wellness, a Canadian açai bowl and smoothie chain, is opening its first Vancouver Island location Saturday at 3956 Shelbourne St. in Victoria’s University Heights neighbourhood.
The Victoria store is the 49th location for the company, which was founded in Hamilton, Ont., in 2019 by friends Jesse Davidson and Jay Zuccato.
Davidson, a co-founder of HEAL, said British Columbia is a natural market for the company because of the province’s established culture of outdoor recreation, healthy living and interest in nutritious food.
“BC has got a really strong culture around exactly what we pride ourselves on,” Davidson said. “We’re health and wellness focused, we love to get outdoors and the food we put in your bellies is a better-for-you kind of food, using whole ingredients.”
HEAL began as what Davidson described as a “passion project” between the two founders. Their goal was to create what he called “a community hub for everything health and wellness,” while addressing what they saw as a shortage of healthier options in the quick-service restaurant sector.
“There was a gap in the market with healthy alternatives in quick-service format that we wanted to fill,” Davidson said.
The company opened a half dozen stores within its first three years before beginning to franchise. It now has 48 operating locations across Canada, with the Victoria opening bringing the total to 49.
Davidson said the company’s franchise partners have been a crucial part of its rapid expansion.
“We’ve been able to onboard really amazing franchising partners who encompass the core elements of what made us successful from store one to store two to store three,” he said.
(Photo Credit: HEAL Wellness)
HEAL entered the BC market in 2024, opening locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood.
The Victoria opening is part of a five-store franchise agreement covering Vancouver Island, giving the company a broader foothold in the region.
“The five-unit deal is a great way to plant our flag on the island,” Davidson said.
He also pointed to changing consumer attitudes toward lifestyle, alcohol, smoking and wellness.
“The alcohol consumption is going down and the investment in lifestyle and wellness is going up,” Davidson said. “Wellness is becoming an everyday consumer behaviour.”
The company sees further opportunity in BC and plans to increase its presence by developing clusters of locations rather than expanding sporadically across the province.
Davidson said HEAL would like to add another 10 locations on the mainland.
“That would be success for me,” he said.
For Victoria, the opening adds another option for consumers seeking quick-service food built around açai bowls, smoothies and whole-food ingredients, while giving HEAL an important foothold in a market the company believes aligns closely with its health and wellness focus.
