La Coop, partner for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste à Montréal
MONTREAL, May 31, 2016 – With some 90,000 members who give life to the authenticity of local products every day, La Coop fédérée, the jewel of Quebec’s agriculture and agri-food sectors, is proud to be the flag bearer for Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day in Montreal. This year, La Coop fédérée will act as a collaborating partner for the big show and the parade – the two main events of the celebrations!
A Long-lasting Relationship
To better understand the depth and sustainability of the link that unites La Coop fédérée and Quebecers, in the same way that the role of the cooperative has played in the province's development, it must be remembered that La Coop fédérée saw the light of day at the beginning of the 20th century. With two thirds of Quebecers living in the countryside, agriculture already dominated all along the St. Lawrence Valley. During this time, a few cooperatives had been set up to ensure food for the population, supply farmers and process their produce. Since then, La Coop fédérée and its network has been bringing together a growing number of producers, so much so that today it is one of the main players in the agriculture and agri-food sectors in Canada and in the retail trade in Eastern Canada. La Coop fédérée is also the 24th largest agricultural cooperative in the world. Today, nearly 100 years after being founded, La Coop fédérée and its brands (Olymel, BMR, Unimat, Sonic, and La Coop) are part of Quebecers' everyday lives and contribute to the development and vitality of rural communities.
A United Organization for All Quebecers
"La Coop fédérée's history is that of the thousands of Quebecers who at first decided to join forces to protect themselves from the phenomenon of speculation, and then to create an economy based on solidarity. In other words, what our predecessors created is an organization that existed first and foremost for its members," stated Ghislain Gervais, president of La Coop fédérée.
"Today, more than ever, La Coop fédérée is united by all Quebecers. In fact, we must not forget that in addition to making an important and original contribution to the social and economic development of Quebec, especially with our brands BMR, Unimat, Olymel, Sonic, and La Coop, our members are at the heart of some of the most important issues that our society is facing today. In this broader historical and economic context, it is, of course, natural that La Coop fédérée join in the party on June 24th," added Mr. Gervais.
La Coop fédérée would therefore like to wish a very happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste day to all Quebecers.
About La Coop fédérée
Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the largest agri-food organization in Quebec. It is owned by more than 90,000 members grouped together within 72 cooperatives located across several Canadian provinces and it is present throughout the agri-food chain. As a wholesaler, La Coop fédérée provides agricultural producers with the goods and services necessary for their operations. Its activities are separated into three divisions: Agribusiness (livestock and crop productions, and marketing grains, under the Elite and La Coop brands), Retail and Innovation (energy, hardware and farm machinery under the Sonic, Unimat, BMR, and Agrizone brands), and Meats (under the Olymel, Flamingo and Lafleur brands). La Coop fédérée employs 12,200 people and with revenues reaching $5.9 billion. Including its affiliated cooperatives, La Coop fédérée counts more than 18,350 employees and combined revenues of $9.6 billion.
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Source:
Ben Marc Diendéré
Senior Vice-President, Communications, Public Affaires and Branding
@Marc_Ben
Media Contact:
Marie-Hélène Cliche
Director, Corporate Communications
Telephone: 514-347-5939
Email: marie-helene.cliche@lacoop.coop