A gourmet getaway resulted in investments of over $3,200 in five Beauharnois-Salaberry producers on August 17.
The getaway was a perfect fit for Sonia Duquette, the owner of the Valleyfield-based Local du Gourmet café and boutique, who has organized several gourmet escapades in Europe. She has also previously organized similar getaways in collaboration with the MRC de Beauharnois-Salaberry. Her passion for food and culture prompted her to repeat the experience in the region, to showcase the great diversity of farms and agri-food businesses as well as the quality of their products.
The 17 participants were treated to an on-site tasting of six alcohols at the Distillerie des 3 Lacs, followed by visits and tastings at different businesses, including roasted coffee at the Brûlerie Emma in Valleyfield, haskaps at the Petits Fruits Saint-Louis in Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and mead at honey producers Miel Nature in Beauharnois. The event ended on a high note with a tour and three-course meal at the Vignoble Cortellino vineyard in Saint-Urbain Premier.
Tickets for the activity cost $150 per person, which included a contribution of between $10 and $30 per participant that was paid directly to the farms and agri-food businesses to compensate the owners for their hospitality. “This was essential for me,” says Duquette. “Their time is worth something, even if they tell me that is unusual to pay,” she explains.
Obviously charmed by the experience, the participants purchased over $1,500 worth of local products over the course of the day. “It was an unexpected success,” says Duquette.
“The objective was to raise awareness about the region’s agri-food producers, to showcase their work, and to allow them to share their passion and develop a lasting relationship with the participants,” emphasizes Duquette, who was equally keen to promote the importance of investing in the local economy.
“Unfortunately, we often say ‘encourage,’ but what we should be saying is ‘invest,’ because we are investing in resilience and food autonomy,” says Duquette. “We are also investing in a certain diversity that can help us meet current and future economic and environmental challenges,” she adds.
Duquette confides there may be good news in the pipeline for the regional agri-food sector in the coming weeks, as a new organization is in the process of coming together to incubate and accelerate the region’s agri-businesses.