Build, Operate, Pass It On.
Simon Bertrand is a Montréal entrepreneur, operator and founder-consultant. In 2008, he co-founded Rise Kombucha at a time when the fermented drink was still virtually unknown to the North American mainstream.
He led the company first as General Manager (2008-2011), then as President (2011-2016), before continuing on the board of directors until the company's sale in 2025. Under his operational leadership, Rise established itself as Canada's pioneering kombucha brand and market leader: he designed the processes, led the construction and commissioning of the Saint-Léonard plant, and ran its bottling line. At maturity, the platform reached $24M in annual sales, more than 100 employees and national distribution extended into the United States. The full automation of the production line came later, in 2017-2018, during his years on the board.
"In a growing SME, the danger is not a lack of ambition. The danger is losing visibility on the numbers and letting the teams drift out of alignment. I built SBC Momentum to give owners the rigour and the tools I wish I had when I started."
Simon Bertrand
In 2016, he founded SBC Momentum (formerly Simon Bertrand consultations), a strategic and operational advisory firm repositioned in 2026. Its niche: helping CEOs and CFOs of Québec food and consumer SMEs ($1-15M in revenue) take back control of how their business is run.
Through the flagship Diagnostic Pilotage PME, our entry-point engagement, he helps companies structure their performance indicators in 2 to 3 weeks. For organizations ready for the next step, he deploys and configures AI Copilots (Finance, Sales, Ops) to automate management reporting and secure adoption through team alignment work.
Boards and Community Involvement
Beyond Rise Kombucha, Simon co-founded LEEEP cold brew (2017-2019) and has put his governance experience to work on several boards of Québec brands and organizations:
Wise / Simple & Natural
Eco-friendly personal care for men. Board member.
Exeko
Social innovation and cultural inclusion. Board member.
Beverage & CPG brands
Strategic advice to beverage and consumer packaged goods brands.
Press & Media Coverage
Simon Bertrand's work with RISE Kombucha has been covered in major reports, academic case studies and impact-financing stories:
A major transaction backed by a group of Québec impact investors led by Fondaction.
Industrial case study on the full automation of the RISE plant ($10M investment). Read the article
"Changer le monde, un kombucha à la fois" (in French): a feature on RISE's industrial rise and national distribution. Read the article
"Rise Kombucha : la recette marketing" by A. Przybysz and S. Laporte (in French). A case study on moving from a niche market to the mass market. View the case
On the falling Canadian dollar and its impact on import-export and production costs. Watch the report
"Concilier excellence et heure de lunch" (in French): an interview on managing fast team growth. Read the interview
An exclusive interview on the entrepreneurial philosophy of RISE's founder. Read the profile
Press coverage on kombucha brewing and culture, and recognition for innovation in healthy eating.