Since 1981, Les Cultures de Chez Nous has been farming in the Centre-du-Quebec region. The company employs growing methods that respect the health of both the consumers and the environment. These methods respond to ever increasing client expectations. Thanks to its vitality and the quality of its products, Les Cultures de Chez Nous is the leading supplier of asparagus and leeks to Quebec’s food chains.
Established in Ste-Brigitte-des-Saults, Michelle Rajotte and Louis-Marie Jutras, both farm the land with the same passion. In 1978, they traded their secretarial and cartographic paraphernalia to become part time farmers and started by growing garlic and asparagus.
Three years later, they bought a 172 acre patch of land. Over the years, they continued to acquire land and are now the owners of 700 acres. The Cultures de Chez Nous greenhouses have an area of 2700 m2. They presently grow leeks, asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, soy and corn.
In 1999, the farm broke new ground with a more industrial chapter by undertaking the processing of leeks in order to provide added value and to maximize the crop yield. Packaged sliced leeks, which became their new product at that time, are now available in most Quebec supermarkets.
2001 marked the beginning of the importing of leeks from France which allows the company to remain on the market during the winter months and ensures a continuous source of supply.
In 2011, following several publicity campaigns in various magazines in previous years, Les Cultures de Chez Nous turned to the Web 2.0 to become better known. The new technologies are the current vogue and the company felt that it was important to invest time and money in the social network. Reaching out to its clients: that was the objective. So, the company implemented the means (new web site, use of the social media) to include the social network in its marketing communication plan in order to reach present and future clients. In earlier times, Louis-Marie and Michelle organized visits to the farm to make the company and its products known. Today these visits can be made on the internet.
After 30 years in business, Les Cultures de Chez Nous still has the quality of its products at the heart of its interests. Depending on the season, the company employs 35 to 50 people who come from the area and benefit from internal group benefits programs. The future of the business is promising because the three children who work on the farm are there to carry on the family tradition. Valerie, the eldest, takes care of administration and human resources while Alex and Antoine, the youngest, both have collegiate diplomas in agricultural business management and exploitation.