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Laiterie de l’Outaouais is one of the region’s star businesses. The media have delighted in the tale of a community that rolled up its sleeves to set up this business after the closure of Laiterie Château in Buckingham. However, not many people know the story of the man behind the project.

Georges Émond was to all intents and purposes the mastermind behind the dairy business whose plant started up in July 2010. Thanks to his ingenuity, the first dairy built in Quebec in 80 years happened to be in Gatineau. Today, Laiterie de l’Outaouais employs 14 people. Within six months in operation it reached the goals that were only expected to be achieved after three years.

For Georges Émond, everything fell into place in 2006, shortly after the announcement of the closure of Laiterie Château. “Développement économique – CLD Gatineau (DE – CLDG) put me in touch with the workers at the dairy who were about to lose their jobs. My associate Gérald Brisebois and I immediately understood the tremendous potential of a dairy,” he explains. 

He also points out that “the project could not have been pulled off without the unconditional support of Coopérative de développement régional Outaouais-Laurentides and citizen engagement. That mobilization was instrumental in the establishment of the consumer co-op attached to Laiterie de l’Outaouais, a proven economic driver that provides us with incredible assistance.”

Coopérative de développement régional Outaouais-Laurentides and its executive director, Mr. Patrick Duguay, were eagerly involved in the reactivation process. “Mr. Duguay set up and coordinated the dairy recovery committee and from time to time, his whole team worked on various aspects of the project.”
 
Laiterie de l’Outaouais would not have emerged without the unprecedented mobilization that took place among the region’s citizens. It received massive support, more notably through their involvement in creating the consumer co-op, which became one of the dairy’s shareholders.“It is an essential part of our accomplishment; if not for the support and keenness that Outaouais consumers showed for our products, the dairy would not have been launched with such tremendous success”, adds Mr. Émond.

Georges Émond’s savvy is not a matter of chance. His years of work experience prepared him well for this adventure.

Rapid rise in the food sector

Originally from Maniwaki in the Outaouais, Georges Émond left the area to study food processing at the Institut de technologies agroalimentaires in Saint-Hyacinthe. Upon graduating, he got his first job with Salade Express, a salad and vegetable processing business in Saint-Rémi.

Management was soon impressed by his ability to improve production efficiency and his approach to motivating the teams. After six months, he was offered the position of director of quality assurance: he was only 22 years old.

Three years later, he took the job of production manager in a dairy in Hautes-Laurentides. Just a few months later, he was offered the top position in the company. However, this company had run into financial difficulties. Monthly losses came to nearly $20,000. Mr. Émond quickly introduced improvements to the production line and product quality, and cut production costs. Barely a year later, the company was earning $25,000 a month.

The dairy in Maniwaki

Mr. Émond later left this dairy to acquire a milk distribution network in his home town of Maniwaki. “I had been a dairy producer for 12 years. But throughout this time I kept analyzing the dairy activities in Quebec. I was actively looking for a business opportunity,” he explains. Just then, in 2006, Laiterie Château closed.

Georges Émond took advantage of the vast network of DE – CLDG contacts to set up a dairy recovery committee. He realized that the figureheads for this committee had to be people who were trusted and well-known in the community. Entrepreneur Antoine Normand and Gatineau Municipal Councillor Maxime Pednaud-Jobin both got the part. Naturally, Mr. Émond held onto most of the shares in the business, because it was his expertise that was behind the project.

Two co-operatives were set up, generating $200,000. One of these was a worker co-op, the other one a consumer co-op. The money raised was used to finally start up the project.

“Every weak link I knew of in dairies was eliminated in this one, and I kept only the best systems and practices the industry had to offer: materials, ventilation, staff rotations, sewers….I went through it all with a fine-tooth comb,” explains Georges Émond.

Today, the dairy’s products can be found on the shelves of several retailers around the region. This businessman is particularly proud of his chocolate milk, which he took months to perfect. The same goes for the 35% creame. Georges Émond is now looking into developing products that are exclusive to Laiterie de l’Outaouais. “People around here are proud of this local business,” he points out. “I want them to remain that way for a long time!”

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