Mates on Crates Feat. Olivia Lovenmark-Hay

G’day,

Those in the know, know where to go.

We’re excited to have just launched our latest episode of Mates on Crates featuring Olivia Lovenmark-Hay, CEO & Founder of Duchess Cocktails. Duchess Cocktails is a Vancouver-born, woman-owned, and family-operated cocktail company that began with a bottled Cosmopolitan, and has expanded into a full lineup of ready to drink cocktails and non-alcoholic bevs. Olivia came to the beverage world from tech and product marketing, having worked with fintech companies in Silicon Valley and New York before turning an idea that began brewing on a flight home in 2019 about bottling a great Cosmopolitan into Duchess. She carries that marketing and product background to a business that has been independently built, from developing the brand and establishing her own production facility, to expanding Duchess nationally. As the brand’s next evolution unfolds, Olivia is currently preparing to open Duchess Cafe at 1249 Adanac Street, a stylish new coffee, pastry, and cocktail destination on the East Vancouver bike path. Guests can expect coffee and pastries to start, followed by cocktails, sandwiches, and an off-sales shop.

It was a pleasure to sit down with Olivia to chat about the origins and evolution of Duchess, her transition from tech to beverages, the new Duchess Cafe, balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood, and all of Olivia’s favourite spots.

Each time we do a Mates on Crates interview, our guests share up to twenty of their favourites with us. For each episode, only a handful of those favourites make it into the final two minute cut. In order to highlight all of our guest’s favourites, we are happy to share the full list of favourites right here.

Olivia’s favourites at Dutchess Bakery

• Pastry: Custom Cruffin from Ex-Animo

• Cookie: Custom Duchess cookie from Whisked Away

• Pairing: Cappuccino or espresso tonic

The FULL LIST of Olivia’s Local Favourites:

• Bakery: Ex-Animo

• Brunch: Truck Stop Cafe

• Burger: Beach Ave Bar & Grill

• Dying to Try: Dear Gus Snack Bar

• Fried Chicken: DL Chicken

• Hidden Gem: Truck Stop Cafe

• Ice Cream/Gelato: Earnest Ice Cream

• Last Meal That Blew Them Away: Giardino

• Outside of Vancouver: Refuge Cove

• Patio: Duchess Cafe

• Pizza: The Parlour

• Quick Dinner Out: Red Wasabi

• Sushi: Minami Restaurant

• Take an Out of Town Guest: Rodney’s Oyster House

• Yaletown Favourites: Chez Nous, Mon Pitou

Thanks for joining us, Olivia!

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Watch Olivia’s full Mates on Crates Episode below.

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