It’s that time of year! Christmas trees are starting to go up as we prepare for the holiday season. There are a few places across the Valley where you can get your tree, but if you’re looking to take a slightly different approach, you might want to consider Titi Sapin.
Martin Ethier and his son Étienne (who is still in elementary school!) have been working on this project since 2017. The Ethiers are the owners of Houblons Franklin, an organic hop farm that has been around since 2011. They were looking for something to do throughout the winter months. After some research, they decided that they wanted to embark on this ecologically friendly Christmas project.
Titi Sapin allows folks to buy a small living tree that is given to them in a pot. “They have a bit of a different look, but we don’t trim them, since the goal is to eventually plant them,” Ethier says. “They have the choice to keep them in the pot – they last a few years in the pot – or they can plant it outside in the spring.” The trees have a longer life expectancy once they are living outdoors.
If you don’t want to keep the tree to plant, Titi Sapin also offers a service where they will collect all of the trees that they distributed and take care of them until next year. “If people want to return their tree, they can give it to us and then we’ll bring it back next year; it’s the same tree, but a little bigger!” To track the trees, they have numbers on the pots; however, Ethier encourages people to decorate their pots to personalize them. “We think that’s really fun to see in the field when we take care of them,” he says. If someone decides they can no longer care for their tree, Titi Sapin can plant it on their property and provide a GPS location to it so that owners can continue to watch their tree grow.
At Titi Sapin, the main priority is taking care of the environment. Not only do they produce Christmas trees, but for Valentine’s Day they source rose bushes that are produced locally, and last much longer than roses that are imported.
“We do this for everyone,” 10-year-old Étienne shares, emphasizing that helping to protect the environment benefits all, and is something everyone should care about. Ethier adds that “This is something good for the region, because we developed products that are positive for the environment, and it’s a new product with a social aspect as well.” They recognize their customers each year and have a relationship with them. Plus, these trees are great conversation starters. “I think it’s important in 2024 to maintain our connections and our social relationships,” he says.
Titi Sapin works mostly through their Facebook page. They can be contacted if you’d like to arrange a pickup for your own tree, or you can see if any of their drop-off dates at different locations in the Valley work for you.