Breadstack: A Six-Year Product Journey
I joined Breadstack as the founding designer on Day One, eventually growing into a Product & Design Lead as we scaled to become Canada’s second-largest cannabis e-commerce platform. Over the years, I moved from designing the core architecture to managing the roadmap and delivery for 100+ retail locations.
Project
Saas
Role
Product Design Lead
Product Operation Manager
Year
2019-2026
Breadstack
Breadstack is a B2B2C "eCommerce Enabler" that bridges the gap between physical retail and digital growth. At its core, the platform acts as a real-time data engine that syncs complex inventory from retail POS systems (like Cova and Greenline) directly to custom WordPress storefronts.
Problem
Before Breadstack, cannabis retailers were trapped in a "marketplace model." Platforms like Dutchie dominated the space but stripped stores of their autonomy—retailers couldn't own their customer data, build their own SEO, or express their brand identity. They were essentially just a listing in someone else’s directory.
Mission
We set out to build a true e-commerce enabler. I needed to design a system that gave retailers the "Shopify experience" for Cannabis—connecting their POS directly to their own WordPress site so they could finally own their brand, their data, and their future.
My Journey
Chapter 1: The Architect
Through the Fog
Early on, we were building multiple disconnected tools—live chat, delivery, and e-commerce—without a clear market. Through the fog, I used design thinking to audit our failed projects, identifying the most valuable features and proposing a way to bundle them into a single, cohesive platform.
Finding the Light
The turning point came when a cannabis retailer expressed interest in our prototype. That feedback was the spark we needed. We studied the industry’s unique pain points and realized our bundled software was the perfect fit for their specific needs. I led the deep-dive into their workflows to pivot our features into a specialized ecosystem for cannabis retail.
From 0 to 1
The response was immediate and positive. We doubled down on this new direction, officially transforming our experiments into the Breadstack platform. I spent this phase polishing the end-to-end experience and establishing the design standards that allowed us to scale as we grew from a small team to a market competitor.
Chapter 2: The Builder
Building the Team
As client demand skyrocketed, I helped form and lead a dedicated design team to keep pace with the product's rapid evolution. My focus was on establishing a sustainable workflow that allowed us to handle high-pressure stakeholder requirements without sacrificing quality or speed.
The Unified Foundation
I established a robust design system to bring the entire ecosystem into a unified style. While prioritized for utility over flair, the system was built to be future-proof—standardizing our components so we could ship new features faster and ensure a consistent experience across every platform.
Vertical Growth
We entered a phase of aggressive refinement—relocating or removing features to focus purely on the cannabis retailer’s needs. This included designing specialized workflows for complex cannabis product data and launching a dedicated Tablet App to bridge the gap between online orders and physical in-store fulfillment
Chapter 3: The Strategist
From Design to Product
After a strategic consultation with the Head of Product, I transitioned into a Management role to better leverage my deep institutional knowledge. As the person who had designed the ecosystem from Day One, I was uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between business vision and technical execution.
Product Plan walk-through wil POs
Owning the Feature
I took over the end-to-end management of our feature pipeline. This involved filtering stakeholder requests, communicating daily with POs in Hanoi to ensure technical alignment, and managing the final testing and quality gates. I acted as the primary link to our Customer Success team, ensuring that every launch was supported by a clear Go-to-Market plan and localized training.
Feature Demo with CS team
Global Team
Managing a product across time zones required a shift toward operational excellence. I established a system for "design-led prioritization," ensuring that our Hanoi-based engineering tracks were always working on the highest-impact features. By streamlining the communication loop between Canada and Vietnam, I was able to maintain our rapid shipping cadence even as the platform’s complexity grew.
Outcome
By 2025, Breadstack became the second-largest cannabis e-commerce platform in Canada, supporting 40+ enterprise clients across 100+ locations nationwide. We didn't just build a tool; we made a name for ourselves by leading a major movement in the industry—empowering retailers to reclaim their brand and data.
Some Screens
Breadstack Core - Product List
Breadstack Core - Product
Breadstack Core - Order
Breadstack Core - Workflow Automation
Breadstack Core - Live Chat
Breadstack Core - Visitor Tracking
Breadstack Core - Location Setting
Breadstack Core - Integration
Kiosk - Product
Kiosk - Cart
Kiosk - Checkout
Order Management System (Tablet) - Order List
Order Management System (Tablet) - Order Detail
Order Management System (Tablet) - Setting
