The Spices of the Warrior impose themselves – peacefully – on European soil. A just return of things.
The Huron-Wendat company has entered into an agreement with a young French company for the distribution of 11 of its products in Europe.
“We think that for June 21, we should be ready to start selling, among other places in France, then in more than 28 countries,” comments Daniel Picard, president of Les Épices du Guerrier, enthusiastically.
The company prepares condiments, spices and herbs from plants, herbs and spices from the native land of Quebec.
The centerpiece of the deal, his famous gift Log is accompanied by the Traditional Mix, the Tomahawk Mix and the Poivre au Bacon.
They will be distributed by the French company Kana distribution.
“We’ve been looking for a band for a long time. They expressed their interest. My first condition was that they didn’t have too many products. »
Products from Les Épices du Guerrier will make up 80% of the catalog of Kana distribution, recently founded by Patricia Bridier and Pierre Diedrich.
“Les Épices du Guerrier’s primary mandate is to promote Indigenous culture through First Nations gastronomy,” recalls Daniel Picard. “Our mission appealed to several European groups, and Kana met our needs. There was a very human side to them. Yes, we sell spices, but we also sell a First Nations culinary experience. They had the same vision. »
The very young company is located in Castelnaudary, capital of cassoulet, which perhaps suggests surprising culinary crosses.
“The delivery will be done everywhere in France in a few hours. We are talking about 48 hours, which will make our lives a lot easier. »
Distribution will be done online first for major centres. “In small towns and villages, you want to enter several merchants. It has already started now, so in pastries, bakeries, delicatessens and delicatessens and other slightly more specialized businesses. »
This is a new and beautiful adventure!
“Especially for a First Nation, because we have come a long way! he exclaims. Our story is quite special. Even today, we fight, I said we fight, on the fact of being indigenous. It is always more complicated than for a foreigner. We have much more difficult obstacles to overcome. »
The Indian Act, which stipulates that property on the territory of an indigenous community cannot be seized, makes it very difficult to finance a company, he explains. “Banks, lenders and investors are very scared because you are elusive on a reserve. »
The head office of Les Épices du Guerrier is located near Wendake, but its warehouse is in Quebec, “so that we can borrow against our values, our products, our stocks. It’s always more complicated, it takes 10 to 20% longer as soon as you’re indigenous.”
Founded in 2017 by Daniel Picard and his partner Patrice Dion, the small grocery company first took the form of an initiative to support young people in need.
“We rented a booth at the Saint-Tite Western Festival, and what we thought we could do in 12 days, we did it in a few hours,” he says. We saw that there was really a craze. And the first year, we donated $25,000 to the Maurice Tanguay Foundation for young people. »
Distributed online by Amazon Choice, and at Walmart, Simons, the company’s products can be found in some 1,000 points of sale in Quebec, at Sobeys, Metro, IGA and many local stores.
Half of its products are packaged by the company, the rest is subcontracted to companies in the region.
Les Épices du Guerrier employs about thirty people, a quarter of whom are Aboriginal. She has set up her own network of pickers.
“We also have our recipe specialists who will help us create the mixes, informs Daniel Picard. Plants don’t always taste the same. It’s not like Club House, for whom cilantro is cilantro. We dune pepper can taste differently, depending on the area, depending on the season. »
The president of Les Épices du Guerrier estimates that the European breakthrough will lead to 20-25% growth over the next year.
He plans to hire four new employees by September, who will mainly focus on the new European market.
“We are in the process of transforming the Quebec site into a French site, to have the right names. If, for example, in a recipe here, we talk about walleye and pike, in France, we will talk about other species of fish for our recipes. »
They will learn.
Smac! Simac Électrotechnique has embraced the electrical engineering contractor Groupe SGM, which has just acquired it.
These sparks led to the merger of the activities of the two companies and the creation, on May 1, of the Simac Électrotechnique division within the SGM Group.
Founded in 1996 and located in Brossard, Simac offers electrical engineering services for testing, maintenance, repairs, modifications and refurbishment of low and medium voltage electrical equipment.
The SGM Group, whose head office is located in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, already had branches in Candiac, Gatineau, Ottawa and Warrenton, in the United States.
With the marriage of the two companies, the SGM Group family of engineers, technicians, electricians and support staff now numbers over 300 people.
Another Lion whose engine will roar silently. The Lion Electric Company has announced the launch of its new Lion5, an all-electric Class 5 mid-duty truck.
The beast, whose payload can reach 12,500 lbs, is powered by the new 800 V LionBatterie battery packs designed and manufactured by the Saint-Jérôme company.
It promises a range of 320 km, ideal for suburban deliveries. Its batteries recharge to 80% in an hour and a half.
The cub was previewed at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, California.
Production should start by the end of the year.
A family affair: Groupe Legault, which already owns Mondou and Ren’s Pets stores, has entered into a strategic partnership with Homes Alive Pets, a third-generation family business specializing in the sale of pet products and accessories whose head office is located in Edmonton, Alberta.
Founded in 1974 in Duchess, Alberta by Eldon Ropp and his wife Doreen in their home garage, Homes Alive Pets has five stores in Alberta and two in British Columbia. The most recent was opened in Edmonton West in March 2023. The Alberta-based company, which employs 180 people, plans to open many more by 2027. It also has a transactional website for the online orders it ships all over the country.
“From the first meetings, the trust and complicity between our two families naturally settled,” said Nicolas Legault, co-owner and vice-president of business development of Groupe Legault, in a press release. With the Ren’s Pets chain, Groupe Legault, a fourth-generation family business, was already firmly established in Ontario and the Atlantic. With this new transaction, he made a breakthrough in Western Canada.
This is the amount raised during the fashion show that the Pop Shoes and Go Sport stores in Mascouche organized at Des Rives high school. The sum was donated to the Maman Dion Foundation.
