The Soup Whisperer and the Cake Crusader have joined forces to create a new delicacy
The soup shop has only been open on Ochterloney Street for two months and each week they try and roll out a new variety of soup.
A new Dartmouth, N.S., eatery is serving up a new soup made out of one of the city's favourite snacks.
"My friend Stephen joked that we should make donair soup," said Roz Wilson-Oliver, co-owner of SouperDuper Soup.
"We put it off and we put it off and this week we said: donair soup is up on the list."
That's right, donair soup. Just two days on the menu and so far donair soup is a hit with customers.
Made with many of the same ingredients found in traditional donairs, but without the pita shell, the concoction created quite a stir on social media.
"It sort of hit Twitter and it's been on fire," said Wilson-Oliver.
The soup shop has only been open on Ochterloney Street for two months and each week they try and roll out a new variety of soup.
"All of a sudden we decided, let's go for it," said Jenn Service, co-owner of Souper Duper Soup. "Go for it we did and now we have donair soup on our menu."
Unorthodox marketing working
Service and Wilson-Oliver both have marketing backgrounds and both recently lost their jobs, but they also know their way around the kitchen.
Service is known as the Soup Whisperer. Wilson-Oliver is the Cake Crusader, a dessert specialist.
When they opened the shop, they weren't sure what to expect. Rolling out a soup that was guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows was all part of their plan.
Roz Wilson-Oliver, co-owner of Souper Duper Soup, is known around the shop as the Cake Crusader, a dessert specialist. (CBC)
"It was kind of different to find ways to do marketing because we have a very limited budget," said Service.
"Trying to get people through word of mouth and that sort of thing, we've been trying a variety of different ways to get people through the door."
So far the unorthodox marketing is working and the donair soup combo is popular.
For $8, you get soup and a biscuit.
"This soup is delicious," said customer Danielle Skinner. "It tastes like a donair but without the wheat of a pita."
"It's great and it's a nice twist on a Nova Scotia favourite for sure," said Nick Russell.
"It's pretty similar to an actual donair and the biscuit has a really nice taste to it."
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Sullivan’s Pond Storm Sewer Renewal Project causing headaches for some Dartmouth businesses [ November 2, 2017]
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From soup to sweatshirts, Nova Scotia entrepreneurs hope an appearance on Dragon's Den, a popular CBC television show, will boost their product lines.
Around 30 hopefuls braved Saturday's winter storm to audition for the show, said Audrey Millie of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Education and Development, which handles the auditions.
Halifax entrepreneurs have had luck in the past. Hope Blooms, a north end charity for youth, won $40,000 from Dragon's Den in 2013 for their salad dressing and gardening business.
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'Donairs without the regret'
Roz Wilson-Oliver and her business partner Jenn Service run Souper Duper Soup, a soup delivery service in Halifax. They have around 70 soups that cycle through their lunchtime menu, the star being donair soup.
Donair soup: One of the soup's Souper Duper Soup hopes to market across Canada. (CBC)
They want to expand their business, and are hoping for a cash infusion from the Dragons' Den.
They're looking for $100,000 for 20 per cent of the business to expand production facilities and meet demand for the product.
The company's aim is to market their soups across Canada, Service said.
"Our donair soup is donairs without the regret," she said.
"Donair soup is what got us known — but wait until you taste our butter chicken."
Donair Soup at Souper Duper Soup Shop in Dartmouth, a big hit [September 1, 2015]
Paul Palmeter- CBC
Dragon's Den Halifax hopefuls audition for popular CBC show [March 6, 2016 ]
Susan Bradley · CBC News ·
Work on the Sullivan’s Pond Storm Sewer Renewal Project is well underway — but it isn’t without controversy.
The $11.6-million endeavour will replace old pipes, create a new storm water system and expose some of Sawmill River.
“There’ll be a series of open channels now where people are, rather than have a pipe that’s completely buried underground, it’ll actually expose portions of the river again which will be fantastic,” said James Campbell, Halifax Water.
The project has left a portion of Ochterloney Street closed. Something that’s causing a headache for commuters, pedestrians and especially local businesses.
“It has definitely shaken the building. We can’t open the windows because it’s dirty and dusty and super noisy,’ said Roz Wilson-Oliver, co-owner of Souper Duper Soup.
Not only is the walk-in traffic down significantly at Souper Duper Soup but the cafe’s parking lot is essentially cut off for the time being. The co-owners were planning to expand their business and move from their current basement location at 156 Ochterloney Street to a larger space upstairs in the same building.
“We had some extra funds that we were gonna put towards the move and unfortunately, our funds have been chewed up because of our walk-in traffic being down so much,” said Wilson-Oliver.
Souper Duper Soup says their October revenue this year is half of what it was in 2016.
“It has definitely chewed up the bottom line,” said Wilson-Oliver.
https://twitter.com/NatashaPace/status/926158180320796672
READ: Dartmouth history unearthed in archaeological dig for canal project
The cafe has taken to social media to let people know they are open and encourage more business. They’ve even started a GoFundMe campaign.
“We have had some great community support when we posted on Facebook saying that we needed help because, quite frankly, we need help,” said Wilson-Oliver.
“We’ve actually started a GoFundMe page to help boost our upstairs move and our community has started to really rally around us and started to come in, but it’s hard to get here.”
Not only is the walk-in traffic down significantly at Souper Duper Soup but the cafe’s parking lot is essentially cut off for the time being. The co-owners were planning to expand their business and move from their current basement location at 156 Ochterloney Street to a larger space upstairs in the same building.
“We had some extra funds that we were gonna put towards the move and unfortunately, our funds have been chewed up because of our walk-in traffic being down so much,” said Wilson-Oliver.
Souper Duper Soup says their October revenue this year is half of what it was in 2016.
“It has definitely chewed up the bottom line,” said Wilson-Oliver.
https://twitter.com/NatashaPace/status/926158180320796672
READ: Dartmouth history unearthed in archaeological dig for canal project
The cafe has taken to social media to let people know they are open and encourage more business. They’ve even started a GoFundMe campaign.
“We have had some great community support when we posted on Facebook saying that we needed help because, quite frankly, we need help,” said Wilson-Oliver.
“We’ve actually started a GoFundMe page to help boost our upstairs move and our community has started to really rally around us and started to come in, but it’s hard to get here.”
Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission says the construction on Ochterloney Street is having an impact on both downtown businesses and events in the area.
“We look forward to the enhancements that the daylighting and canal projects with have for our downtown district,” said the commission’s executive director Tim Rissesco.
“We’d encourage HRM to adopt construction mitigation policies that would better assist pedestrians, cyclists, and businesses. We appreciate that HRM provided an open-for-business sign but would have liked to have had it sooner and have had greater input into its design.”View image on Twitter
There is signage up letting the community know that businesses are open despite the construction but it's doing little to help #Dartmouth