Marie-Pier Béliveau

Marie-Pier is a maple syrup producer in the Érable region of Centre-du-Québec. The seventh generation to run the business, she took over the reins of Ferme Bélichel inc. with her husband Philippe. The producer obtained her GEEA diploma from the Cégep de Victoriaville in 2006, and since then has been involved with the farm, which had a milk production of 60 kg/day and a maple grove with 3,000 taps.

In 2015, the young woman, who had been involved with Agropur, Citadelle and La Coop des Appalaches since completing her studies, joined the latter’s board and participated in the merger process that led to Vivaco Groupe Coopératif.

In 2019, the couple will start a business in construction electricity, where Marie-Pier’s administrative and management skills will prove invaluable to the company’s evolution. Marie-Pier’s foray into the construction industry has enabled her to acquire new skills in construction procurement.

In 2021, after strategic reflection, the decision was made to withdraw from dairy production and devote herself entirely to maple syrup production. The entire dairy building was then converted into a modern sugar shack equipped with new technologies. Today, Ferme Bélichel has 15,000 taps and a Citadelle barrel depot of 4,500 barrels. Marie-Pier also manages the processing side of the business, which represents nearly 10% of her maple production in various maple products.