All the News

May 1st, 2024

“Continually offering new restaurants, being mindful of calibre and quality and regularly releasing new features has allowed us to grow organically. We also have some very interesting new partnerships that will enable an explosive next chapter.”

July 7th, 2023

In this edition of Notable People, we delve into the dynamic world of Jennifer Tremblay, the innovative CEO of DINR and founder of Somm. Tremblay is a visionary who has seamlessly blended culinary delight, hospitality, and technology to redefine the dining experience.

October 16th, 2023

“We are a tech company so our clients are both our users and our partners. By working exclusively with the best hospitality partners we naturally attract a more discerning consumer audience.” - Jennifer Tremblay, CEO

March 10th, 2023

A brief interview with Jennifer Tremblay on her journey so far in creating the most trusted platform for culinary and hospitality experiences.

November 16, 2022, CBC

Listen to the CBC Radio interview, All in a Day, with host Alan Neal, CEO of Somm & DINR - Jennifer Tremblay, and GM at Gray Jay Restaurant in Ottawa, Brittany Martin.

July 21, 2022, Girl Boss

“As we step into a post-pandemic world, it’s clear that the consumer has a different set of expectations from their hospitality experiences. They value curation, personalization, quality and community. In essence, the bar for physical experiences is set a lot higher, and the more that technology can efficiently complement and personalize the experience, the better.”

August 10, 2022, Press Release

Named alongside AIR MILES acquiror, BMO Financial, AIR MILES top tier collectors can now access special offers from Somm on Cru and Grand Cru Membership.

May 6, 2022

A first-of-its-kind relationship, Somm™ and American Express® are the perfect pairing. Announced today, Somm™ has entered into a new relationship with American Express Canada. This announcement captures a natural alignment between brands that deliver access to unique value and experiences.

April 2022, Taste Toronto

“With operations in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, DINR allows users to access some of the country’s most lauded restaurants. “Our timing is perfect as Canadians are more than ready to explore the culinary playground they call home,”

July 21, 2022, Girl Boss

Earlier this summer, Somm signed a three-year strategic partnership with American Express in Canada, as a loyalty perk to cardholders. ‘They recognized that we’re a succinct, intuitive app. It’s a great demographic alignment…

June 20, 2022, Notable Life

The marriage between hospitality and tech is here to stay. And as a society, we’ve all become digital natives. We don’t anticipate this going away, but we do know that both consumer expectations and the hospitality industry evolved during the pandemic.

March 10, 2022, BetaKit

Toronto-based mobile wine recommendation app Somm has acquired Montréal’s DINR, as it looks to add restaurant reservations to its offering. “Integrating reservations at Dinr’s suite of high-end restaurants is a natural evolution for Somm.” Developed in 2014 by restaurateur Kyle Nares and tech exec Bryan Mahoney, Dinr is a free mobile restaurant reservation app that matches last-minute diners with popular restaurants on a same-day basis.

March 10, 2022, Press Release

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 /CNW/ - SommTM announced today that it has completed the acquisition of DINR Inc., the Canadian reservation platform that matches same-day availability with last-minute diners at the country's most highly acclaimed restaurants. The acquisition will diversify and expand Somm's lifestyle footprint as it ventures from the world of wine into the category of taste at large.

January 27, 2022, The Challengers, EQ Bank

We run a regular series here at EQ that we call The Challengers. After all, we're a Challenger Bank, and we want to showcase some other incredible people who we feel live and breathe what it means to be a Challenger. This month, we talked to Jennifer Tremblay, Founder and CEO of Somm, an intuitive wine recommendation app that’s like having a sommelier in your pocket.ere

January 21, 2022, UBS & SheEO

In an effort to close the very gender-biased funding gap, UBS, SheEO, and Fortuna Funding have come together to champion 35 companies from around the world led by women. Somm is one of them.

January 18, 2022, University of Alberta

“We’re setting out to be the Spotify of taste,” said Tkachuk-Tremblay, Founder & CEO of Somm, an app that curates wine recommendations based on a consumer’s individual preferences. Embracing the experiential side as well, Somm's lifestyle-focused membership program, Somm Cru and Grand Cru, offers users VIP experiences at Canada's top restaurants, hotels, wineries, global wine importers and lifestyle brands.

November 30, 2021, CurioCity

This Toronto-born app is the ‘Spotify of Taste’ when it comes to picking wine and getting rewards. Somm is, without a doubt, one of the best things to happen to foodies everywhere and anyone even mildly obsessed with wine.”

November 23, 2021,

Ranging from lavish subscriptions to special treats, the best food and drink gifts to buy this season cover every mood and occasion in style. The holidays mean different things to everyone, but no matter what or who you're celebrating, we'll bet there's room for tasty bites, singular sips and breathtaking goodies at your holiday table.

October 13, 2021, Foodism

Exclusive benefits from Boxcar Social, The Annex Hotel, Le Sommelier, Noble Estates and Cosecha Imports, Somm's monthly Cru membership uncorks a whole world of hospitality bonuses.

September 23, 2021, CIX

CIX Canadian Innovation Exchange has today announced the CIX TOP 20 Early and CIX TOP 10 Growth innovative Canadian technology startups that have been inducted into the annual program. Somm, based in Toronto, was named to the Top 20 Early Stage Tech program for 2021.

August 31, 2021, Forbes

Technology that drives more revenue, more reach and more engagement is here to stay. For that reason, many, if not all, of these new components to the industry will be part of the new landscape forever.

August 25, 2021, Forbes

In building this business from the ground up, Jennifer Tkachuk-Tremblay, the CEO and Founder of Somm tapped into her network to raise capital and embraced the totally virtual fundraising environment.

August 13, 2021, Toronto Life

Up close and personal with Jennifer Tremblay, Founder & CEO of Somm. “It’s like having a sommelier in your pocket. Download the app, answer a few questions, then get wine recommendations, whether you’re staying home, eating out or shopping at the LCBO. It can even make suggestions based on variety, region, cost or pairing with a specific dish. There’s also a built-in wine marketplace that lets you order right from restaurants, wineries, and importers.”

August 3, 2021, DIVING Magazine

We recently had a chance to sit down with Jennifer and learn more about Somm, her plans for the future, how someone from algorithmic trading in the finance world found her passion project and her advice for entrepreneurs. The winner and only Canadian to win New York’s Trader Magazine and Market’s Media Rising Star Award is our latest subject of #WomenInspiringWomen.

June 24, 2021, CNW Toronto

With an ultimate vision to become 'the Spotify of Taste', this new chapter marks a promising future for the company. "Our team has deep roots in the technology and hospitality sectors with professionals hailing from Shopify, Wealthsimple, Y-Combinator backed Delphia Inc., luxury hotels by Relais & Châteaux, and we also have one of only five Master Sommeliers in Canada working with us. This is only the beginning for Somm.”

June 27, 2021, Matt Cauz Podcast & Elyse Lambert

In the spirit of ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ this podcast is a biographical style interview with interesting people that will focus on their love/hate/curious relationship with wine and the fascinating lives they’ve lived so far. Oh and plenty of wine tips and recommendations.

May 19, 2021, VineRoutes

Somm™ is the app that takes the guesswork out of wine (they literally coined the phrase “a sommelier in your pocket”). Founded by Jennifer Stasiewich, self-proclaimed foodie and wine-lover, the app was born out of her realization that an intuitive tool was needed to navigate, discover and appreciate the world of wine.

April 20, 2021

The app is designed to take all the guesswork out of choosing the perfect bottle of wine, no matter what your setting, occasion, budget or knowledge level is. It’s there to help enable you to drink better wine, find new wines to love, open your eyes to everything you can and cannot get at your local liquor store via their Marketplace.

April 23, 2021, Financial Post

“People want new products, it’s all about discovery,’ says Jennifer Stasiewich, the founder and CEO of Somm, an app that pairs consumers with wine. “You want to access things that you can’t get at your local big box. You think about all those great dinners you had when you asked your server, where can I get the following wine? They disappear into the back and they come back with the name of a guy on a piece of paper who’s the wine agent that you’re apparently supposed to call to get this special bottle.” There had to be a better way, and Stasiewich, whose career to this point has mostly been spent in the finance world — institutional equity research at the Bank of Nova Scotia, private equity at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and algorithmic trading at TD Securities — found one after signing up for the introductory Court of Master Sommeliers program. Initially, the idea was to create a website that would help people choose a wine on their own, but that quickly morphed into a marketplace as well after the pandemic hit.

March 18, 2021, onSide

The food and drink industry was forced to get creative in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While most food items can be found on common delivery apps, Ontario’s government placed specific rules and regulations around alcohol delivery. There is also controversy around delivery apps because of their unfair distribution of sales. When Jennifer Tkachuk-Tremblay realized that there was no app to guide people in choosing the right wine based on their location and budget, she milked this golden opportunity to create one with the knowledge and resources she had. “My intent was to make wine more approachable and relatable to people. I wanted to help people to feel more confident in making a decision.

March 13th, 2021, 680 News, Business Center Toronto - with Phil Martino

“There is absolutely no reason why a woman should ever be hesitant to go start a new business and new venture and absolutely compete in a man’s world, “ Jennifer Tremblay.

March 6, 2021, Yahoo Style

From breaking down barriers to inspiring us all, there are so many women to celebrate on Monday. If you're looking for some female-run businesses to support, we've got you covered. These women continue to champion change and encourage future generations. This year’s theme for IWD is #ChooseToChallenge.

February 17, 2021, SUSTAIN MAGAZINE

Somm is a new tech company, founded by, led by and invested in by women.

Somm is the public-facing name of BeTheSomm Inc. The Canadian company is based in Toronto Ontario is founded and led by women as well as employing 50/50 investment by women/men. somm simplifies wine. What makes somm different from other wine apps is this—it makes no assumptions about the user’s wine knowledge. Instead, in the moment, somm guides users to the best bottle for the occasion at hand. Integrated with restaurants and store wine menus, including inventory information, to help the consumer no matter where they are, in a matter of 30 seconds or less, somm can provide a handful of wine recommendations based on the user’s inputted information.

January 14, 2021, Bay Street Bull (Glory Media)

Q&A with Selena Romero… all about the app, our mission, the team and our upcoming capital raise!

February 2, 2021, Matt Cauz Podcast

In conversation with Matthew Cauz, for a down to earth conversation with a similar vibe as Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars with Coffee.”

January 8th, 2021, Global News Radio

Let’s Talk London radio show, with host Jess Brady on 980 CFPL, Jennifer introduces the app, how to find a great pairing, why it’s time to take away the confusion in the wine industry and more intuitively help everyone pick a great wine.

January 23, 2021, The Lush Life

The LCBO, for me, is a candy store. But for some it can be an intimidating place. Thousands of labels to choose from and not enough staff to go around to answer your questions. And then there’s the restaurant wine list (when we get back to doing that sort of thing). If there’s not a certified sommelier at the establishment, the concept of pairing your vino with your food can be daunting.

January 7, 2021, Food Service & Hospitality

TORONTO — somm Marketplace has launched to help the hospitality sector find new avenues to reach consumers. The innovative tool is offered through the newly launched somm app, which not only creates a new connection between business owners and their customers, but also gives the business more control of their economics in using a mobile platform for expanding their reach. somm Marketplace is designed to provide a channel for bars and restaurants to continue selling wine, which is a much higher margin item than food.

January 6, 2021, The Onside

As Ontario enters a second economic lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners in the hospitality sector are looking for answers to help keep their businesses viable. Unable to allow patrons to come in for sit-down dining, they are challenged to find new avenues to reach consumers. Part of their solution may be found in the somm™ Marketplace, an innovative new tool on the newly launched somm app that not only creates a new connection between business owners and their customers, but also gives the business more control of their economics in using a mobile platform for expanding their reach.

December 30, 2020, Good Food Revolution

Malcolm Jolley talks to the founder of a Toronto-based new wine app. Jennifer Stasiewich is the founder and CEO of Somm, a new app that pairs consumers with wine. Looking for hospitality industry expertise, the Toronto-based tech entrepreneur has teamed up with Alo’s former GM Yann Le Guilllou and sommeliers Élyse Lambert MS and Jordan Mazzanti of Langdon Hall.

December 27, 2020, Drinks on Us

Joining us on on sauga960 with Michelle and Courtney, Jennifer talks about how the app works, the sommeliers at somm, the marketplace and much more.