Our history
A true connection
It all began during a student life committee meeting at college in September 2014. Etienne was chairing the committee, and I had just joined as a new member. He spoke with such passion about upcoming activities and the fresh ideas we could bring to the table. I was instantly struck by his leadership and authenticity. It was love at first sight — both romantic and professional! I knew then and there that I wanted to spend my life by his side and that we would build countless projects together. Years later, we’re still just as in love. We’ve traveled the world and even started a family.
The birth of Lyla, our beloved daughter and source of inspiration
On November 26, 2021, our daughter Lyla was born, a little bundle of life who’s always smiling. At that moment, we dreamed of creating a product as extraordinary as she is : something proudly Quebec-made, yet open to the world, a unique beverage that brings joy and good vibes. That’s how Lyla Tea came to life — a drink that bears her name and embodies everything we love.
A flash of genius, followed by home testing
Etienne and I are big fans of iced tea… and maple syrup! One day, a simple yet brilliant idea came to us : why not combine these two passions into one refreshing and natural drink? A maple-sweetened iced tea would be both unique and fun, just like our daughter Lyla! That’s how we began experimenting with iced tea sweetened with maple syrip in our kitchen in January 2022. We tested different flavors, blends and ratios until we realized the incredible potential of this creation.
A recipe was born
To improve our recipe and find the perfect balance, we teamed up with a food science lab. This step was essential in turning our homemade idea into a product ready to hit the market. In March 2023, the official Lyla Tea peach and lemon recipe — as you know it today — was born. It was a milestone moment for us. After months of research, testing and tasting, we had finally created a drink we were truly proud of : a natural and delicious beverage sweetened exclusively with maple syrup from Quebec.
Our first production
We completed our first official production of Lyla Tea in May 2023. We began sharing our iced teas with friends and family, at local events and summer markets. The response was overwhelmingly positive È people loved the unique taste and authenticity of our products. That encouraged us to keep going and dream even bigger.
Our first steps into stores
In June 2023, we reached a major step : Lyla Tea made its debut in stores. The Charles family IGA stores in Gatineau, Cantley and Chelsea were our very first retail locations. Seeing our product on grocery store shelves was a dream come true. By the end of the summer, we were already in 23 stores. Driven by consumer interest and the enthusiasm of local retailers, that number has continued to grow ever since.
Finalists in the 2024 OSEntreprendre Challenge
In May 2024, we had the opportunity to take part in the OSEntreprendre Challenge, a competition that celebrates inspiring businesses. It was a true honor to be among the 18 finalist companies selected from over 2,000 applications in the Outaouais region.
They’re talking about us on the radio
In September 2024, the morning teams from Énergie 104.1, Rouge 94.9 and Wow 97.1 tasted our iced teas live. It was such an exciting moment for us! They described our iced teas as flavorful, refreshing, low in calories and unique thanks to the maple syrup. Their enthusiastic reactions inspired many listeners to give our iced teas a try and expanded our customer base.
Semi-finalists in the 2024 Match DUX competition
In October 2024, we took part in the Match DUX pitch competition, which brings together innovative entrepreneurs from the agri-food sector. During the competition, we had the opportunity to present our business to a panel of experts through a video pitch and Lyla Tea successfully made it to the semi-finals.
A new warehouse
In February 2025, we moved into a brand new warehouse, much more spacious than the previous one. This transition marked an important milestone in our growth and made us incredibly proud : to keep up with the growing demand for our products, we needed to store a larger volume of cans.
The Original Lyla Tea
In March 2025, we unveiled our third maple-sweetened iced tea flavor : the Original Lyla Tea, joining our peach and lemon varieties. The Original Lyla Tea is a unique iced tea, as it contains no fruit flavoring. It highlights the pure taste of maple syrup and the true essence of tea.
The 2025 Expo Manger Santé
In March 2025, we also took part in the Expo Manger Santé et Vivre Mieux in Montreal as exhibitors. It was our first time participating in a food fair of that scale. It was a real pleasure to introduce our iced teas to the public during the event. We also launched our new flavor, the Original Lyla Tea, on that occasion.
And this is only the beginning...
The Lyla Tea journey is just beginning. We still have a thousand ideas in mind : new flavors to develop, new markets to explore, partnerships to build and always, the deep desire to connect with people through a product that’s real, delicious and local. Our dream is for everyone to have the chance to taste and enjoy the magic of iced teas sweetened exclusively with maple syrup.