Odutope Macauley-Okoro
CEO
I am Odutope Macauley-Okoro, a wife, mother, sister, friend, and a lover of sweet snacks. I moved from Nigeria to Halifax, Nova Scotia with my family in July 2018. I studied Economics in Nigeria with experience in Monitoring and Evaluation before relocating here to Canada. I love to travel and explore nature. The passion I had for making sweet snacks prompted me to make some homemade crunchy snacks called chinchin which is popular in African and Scandinavian countries. I added more flavour to mine by adding fruits and spices to make more varieties and flavours of chinchin. I make them in coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, wheat and honey flavours and other canapés. This gave birth to Topsie Crunchies Snacks.
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What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
I am proud of the passion I put into adding my recipes together to make snacks that my clientele want to have some more.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
I see Atlantic Canada as an economy that would provide opportunities for inclusiveness, where people’s talents and passion would influence economic growth and development of citizens and tourists. I see opportunities where people are turning their passion to power to create a positive impact in the Canadian economy.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
Learning new things and adopting growth in my business is one of the greatest stages of my business growth. Growth can be challenging but is inevitable.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
One of my favourite books is "We are Unbreakable "by Karen Dean. It resonates with my experience as a woman. It also tells of the resiliency of successful women which motivates me to strive on.
My best podcast is on Monfique Ryan Abu about her story from a shy low esteem lady to a leadership coach and a mentor. Her zeal inspires me. You can listen here.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year?
Continuous growth has helped me to see my concept in a better perspective and work towards achieving the concept.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
Michelle Obama. Her book and film "Becoming" teaches me that she is not a perfect woman as the world sees her, but in her own special way, she inspires the world. And that is what I want to do.
What would you have done differently?
In life I believe if you do not execute an idea, you may not be inspired by another one. So I ensure my ideas become a reality as they come,and this has been a consistent growth for me.
What are the principles you live by?
My principle is my integrity. I would not give my clients what I cannot consume.So I ensure my products are made fresh under a hygienic environment.
How have you recovered from fractured professional relationships?
I have maintained a healthy relationship with other food vendors that I have come in contact with in the industry. We have been able to learn on how to provide healthy meals for my clients and it has been an educational relationship.
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An entrepreneur, lover of snacks who loves to play with fruit and spice recipes to make crunchy snacks.