More Culinary Wonders In Montreal

Forbes

02-06-2025

Yellow and red tomatoes for sale in Jean Talon Farmers' Market in Montreal
It's been a few months since I returned from Quebec but I can't stop thinking about how creative the French Canadians are in terms of producing great, and sustainable, food. They are particularly visionary when it comes to sourcing fresh food in winter while looking out for the future of the planet.
In the same building where the hydroponic, roof garden Lufa Farms can be found is a cooperative of 20 different businesses called the Centrale Agricole. The most fascinating part of their union is that they are all working in tandem throughout the year to produce—in a stroke of genius—a combination of products that left less than a zero carbon negative.
One of the key business partners is the producer of meal worms that address the garbage produced by other businesses. TriCycle and grows mealworms that eat table scraps and so they don't have to, 'generate CO2 emissions by either being sent to landfills or to compost,' notes Kevin Drouin-Léger, Centrale's manager. He adds that no one within the collective has the title of director as is it run by 'horizonal management.'
The Overall Take
Bee hives at the Coop.
This humble cooperative is housed in a modest building. Businesses within in it range from a winery and a cidery to mushrooms and a farmed fish producer. The center was founded in 2019 and has five founding members have continually chosen the other members based on 'diversity of production, innovation, circular economy potential, how that business fits within the ecosystem and economic viability,' according to Drouin-Léger.
A few months ago, I had a chance to visit the center and chat in further depth with Drouin-Léger about his vision for the group. He notes that the center has been home to 27 businesses since it has been open and 20 are still part of the group. He expects there to be room for a chosen few more by next year.
In a constantly French-Canadian humble yet genial way, Drouin-Léger and the businesses within the center all are working towards a long-term, balanced approach to both food and other product production that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Some of the Vision
It is unusual to see this number of diverse businesses working in unison, particularly with small-production items. 'The coop acts as a catalyst to stimulate and encourage collaborations whether it be by sharing resources, joint ventures, or industrial synergies,' notes Drouin-Léger.
Kevin Drouin-Leger heads up the cooperative.
He adds that, much like the hydroponic rooftop garden found at Lufa upstairs, the center works at a steady rhythm all year long. 'We aren't as affected by seasonality as conventional growers are. We can consistently fill our orders all year with no pause. We produce more than 400 tons of food a year for our local communities.'
Operating spaces are small, but being non-competitive they are all also able to promote each other. 'Since there are few or no duplicates in the businesses' production, each business naturally becomes an ambassador for the coop to push other peoples' products. That can expand market potential for our businesses as well as synchronizing logistics in terms of delivery and such,' notes Drouin-Léger. He concludes that there is,' lots of solidarity in our model.'
Mushrooms at the Coop.
There are a lot of innovative business practices being applied here that are reflected by Lufa, the upstairs roof garden. A combination of more-permissive laws involving the promotion of the food and wine businesses in Canada and innovation has resulted in a community of food and wine producers who can creatively and effectively cross promote their products.
Hopefully more stewards of the land will start thinking more like the Centrale Agricole, if given the chance and support of local government and producers. Drouin-Léger notes that the cooperative has 'been approached by more than 50 organizations that wish to model their businesses after ours. In Quebec mainly, but a bit through Canada, France and Belgium as well.'
It would be so exciting, and good for the environment, if American food producers could start working in tandem in order to produce unique products that are good for the environment.