As part of a Consumer Behaviour course, several groups of third-year students had the opportunity to look into consumption of gluten-free products for their term project. This project, under the supervision of professors Leila Hamzaoui and Michael Mulvey, was done with the help of Claude Bonnet, owner of Le Moulin de Provence and Olive & Chili in the Byward Market. Mr. Bonnet, who sells gluten-free products and dishes at Olive & Chili, introduced the students to the distinctive features of these products and to consumer perceptions and what prompted them to turn to these products. He also educated them about their benefits and, more generally, about the importance of the relationship between what we eat and long-term health.

Throughout the project, this joint effort mainly allowed the students to understand what matters to consumers of gluten-free products (i.e. the various motivations and values underlying the consumption of these products). Moreover, all of this enabled them to draw up a consumer profile for these products and make recommendations for developing the market for gluten-free products.

As a follow-up to this initiative, one female student went farther in her collaborative approach. Véronic Mageau, a third-year student in entrepreneurship and international management, has had a special interest in gluten-free products for a long time and understands the importance of a healthy diet. She therefore took the opportunity to develop an innovative project with Mr. Bonnet and the Telfer School of Management and to go from theory to practice. She started by creating social media accounts for Olive & Chili, which led her to discover other facets of marketing. With chef Serge Halbardier and operations management director Olivier Chaillot, she participated in developing new gluten- and dairy-free products to be put on the market. Finally, this collaboration should culminate in the implementation of gluten-free product awareness campaigns and the development of entrepreneurial initiatives with the help of various specialists from the Telfer School of Management.

Watch short videos made by the students (in French only):

La clientèle du sans gluten
Évolution du marché sans gluten
Olive & Chili: Les produits sans gluten

The videos were made by : Érica Begley, Mamadou Yero Diallo, Véronic Mageau and Marie-Rose Nyirabavandimwe.