About Toby

Armed with a BBA from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, Toby Davidson worked with a variety of tier-one, multi-unit chain restaurants and hotels.

Toby eventually found her passion within the retail grocery sector enabling me to effectively apply my product innovation and brand development/management skills.

Fortunate to be mentored by Dave Nichol, Canadian supermarketing legend and creator of the President’s Choice® brand, he demonstrated how to effectively turn unique and innovative food and non-food concepts into economic realities.

First as a Category Manager, then as a Brand Manager with Loblaw Brands Limited, Toby was responsible for the success of hundreds of PC® and No Name® products. Many of these items remain top performers to this day.

In 2003, after eleven years with Loblaw, having acquired a deep knowledge of the retail industry as well as wider experience in business best practices, Toby established her own consultancy; Concept-to-Shelf®.

A boutique consulting firm strategically focuses on the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). Concept To Shelf assists both private label and branded clients; assisting with effectively realizing their vision shifting  their ideas from concept to shelf and beyond.

In 2009, the natural evolution of her career journey led to the creation of The Toby Brand (R).  Utilizing her honed skills and experience to create and launch an innovative, first- to-market  full range of certified organic flash-frozen dark leafy greens.

Cookin’ Greens® launched in fourteen grocery stores in Toronto, Canada. With limited resources, Toby and her team planned and executed targeted marketing events and designed this niche brand’s strategic marketing plans. As a result of Toby and her teams efforts the Cookin’ Greens brand was placed in more than 5000 points of retail distribution across Canada within 3 years from launch.

By identifying the increasing trend of home cooking using healthy value-added products, Cookin’ Greens® was the  brand platform to see this vision come to life within the Canadian market place with great success.

What’s Next?

Inspired in part by her appearance on CBC’s “Dragon’s Den,’ one of the key drivers is to continue to share my business acumen/experience and provide support across many practical platforms within the process.

Concept to Shelf Continues To Support The Following Areas of FMCPG:

• Innovation and ideation
• Product Development
• Quality Assurance
• Regulatory Affairs (including NFP)
• Translation
• Packaging design /development
• Business development/Sales
• Marketing and Promotion ( b to b and b to c)