Bacon Nation

Bacon is one of those quintessentially Canadian items whose esteem continues to grow among food-loving carnivores.

With more than 20 years of experience in the food industry under his belt, Dan Motta could see that bacon was a popular trend showing no signs of abating -- which, in 2012, led him to open a bacon-centric booth at Toronto's annual Canadian National Exhibition. Entitled Bacon Nation, the booth offered such bacon-focused items as bacon-wrapped deep-fried Mars bars and a Nutella BBBLT.

The booth, says Dan, immediately went "gangbusters" with both the public and the press, and it was clear that Dan had stumbled onto something with real, lasting potential. But with the CNE lasting only 18 days, Dan realized that he had to take steps to keep his brand in the public consciousness even in the off-season. "The demand was out. People kept asking on the website."