Jo Lachance is fond of saying, she loves wine, but it doesn’t love her.

With a single glass leaving her flushed, congested and uncomfortable, she stopped drinking wine for eight years until she met her partner, Franco Venturato, who sees the beverage as being intertwined with culture, ritual and connection.

The couple came up with a plan to create a natural, science‑backed product that helps people with wine sensitivities enjoy the wines they love without altering its colour, taste or aroma.

A year later, Lachance and Venturato are well on their way to seeing Purvivino on store shelves thanks to supports at Brock University.

The duo’s first stop was the Brock-Niagara Validation, Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute (VPMI), a technology adoption centre that provides industry with access to state-of-the-art equipment and scientific expertise.

“We’re the science side; they also needed business development,” says VPMI Director Paul Zelisko. “This was a new venture for them, so we literally walked them down the hall to the Brock LINC. We didn’t have to say, ‘Now you have to go to a business school in Toronto to get that.’”

Brock LINC is an innovation office providing research commercialization, entrepreneurship and industry partnership supports to the Brock University and Niagara communities.

The timing was perfect. Tamara Jensen, Brock LINC’s Entrepreneurship Program Manager, introduced the budding entrepreneurs to Navigate, an intensive 11-week early-stage entrepreneurship program covering the basics of formulating a business plan.

“From the first day of Navigate, it was clear Jo and Franco were hungry for knowledge and accessing the right support to develop their idea; they understood the importance of taking on such an innovative project one step at a time,” she says. “Our programs are designed to de-risk the entrepreneurial journey from the beginning. Alongside having a great business idea, that coachable mindset is essential for success.”

During Navigate, the duo connected with potential customers through interviews and surveys to validate if the product was worthwhile and received small group mentorship from Innovate Niagara’s Chris Janzen.

Purvivino’s business pitch was so successful the company captured the community prize in a Navigate pitch competition last year.

After completing the program, Lachance and Venturato joined the year-long LINCubator program to focus on developing their business plan and launching their business. They also participated in the LINC’s five-week Brand Sprint to begin creating their brand strategy and customer-facing messaging.

Meanwhile, the duo also continued working with VPMI to develop the scientific method of removing sulphites and histamines — the substances responsible for Lachance’s symptoms — from wine without altering aroma or taste.

With Brock LINC’s support, Zelisko was awarded funding from Mitacs in partnership with Purviviono that supported the hiring of postdoctoral researcher Laura Voigt to work on filtration materials and chemical analysis for product development.

Lachance and Venturato have now enrolled in the 17-week Brock LINC Blueprint program, where they will use VPMI’s scientific findings to develop a prototype of their product, simultaneously working with Brock’s Makerspace and the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at Niagara College to develop the industrial design of the hardware.

“Our experience with Brock LINC has taught us entrepreneurship isn’t having all the answers; it’s about having the right people and the resources to help you find the answers,” says Venturato.

Purvivino’s journey exemplifies Brock LINC’s vision of providing seamless support for those looking to transform their ideas into reality through LINC programs and beyond Brock through Niagara’s innovation ecosystem, says Jensen.

Members of that ecosystem — including local entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators — will gather at Brock’s annual LINC Up! event next week.

The networking event offers opportunities for attendees to learn about many programs, services and funding opportunities available through the Brock LINC, Innovate Niagara, Mitacs, Niagara College and other organizations.

LINC Up! takes place Wed. Sept. 23 from 5 to 7p.m. in the Brock LINC, located on the second floor of the Rankin Family Pavilion at the University’s main campus. While the event is free to attend, registration is required.

For more information about the Brock LINC and to learn more about their entrepreneurship programs, contact Jensen at [email protected]