Awareness campaigns to the consumption of local food do they make a difference for Quebec producers? It would be difficult to make a complete picture for the moment, but, as we have noticed in our last article, the impact depends on several factors. For example, the choice of breeding, but also the size of the company, may influence the success or failure of these promotions. These women have to make a range of caterers?
Located in Ham-Nord, the restaurant at Auberge La Mara is interested in local food since its opening in 1996, Since then he has been certified Green leader, a recognition awarded by TripAdvisor, and is supplied by a dozen local producers, whose barn La Marie Bergère.
"I know that talking to restaurateurs, most [of them] think that by using local products, Quebec, the costs are higher, says Daniel Lamoureux, owner of the Inn. So that's a myth, because it is not necessarily true. "Furthermore, he added that through a specific agreement with the producer, it also becomes advantageous for the restorer and the producer by calculating the cost of food.
For its part, Cedric Désilets, chef at La Coupole in Montreal, said the so-called artisanal products are going to cost a bit more expensive, but it is not an alarming increase in costs. Open for six years, the restaurant has always been interested in local food, but their offer has intensified since their collaboration with Chef Anne Desjardins. At least 80% of baked goods for their menu are local products, including chicken Farm Voltigeurs.
"There [a producer] that are larger players, as they are distributed by people like GFS or Sysco says Mr. Désilets, but there are still many artisans who are a little smaller and their products are less known. Maybe then it would take more to pick these people to establish an association for there to be more visible. "
Visibility is perhaps not the only downside. Celine Montreuil, Communications Director of the company franchises Piazzetta, like their plant buys more local products, but producers can not provide in sufficient quantity, possibly victims of their success.
Founded in 1989, the first Piazzetta restaurant using local fruits and vegetables, but in the last five or six years, the supply of local food has increased considerably with cheeses, meats and charcuterie Quebec, including the products of Insane pig and saw. Does the implementation of the program Aliments du Québec menu favored customer choice?
"We were a customer who was already sensitive [local products] meets Ms. Montreuil. So for us, when we put it in our menu, it comes just confirm our customers in their tastes and choices. "
According to a 2011 report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec, the distribution sector as well as for hotel, restaurant and institutional buying over 9 G $ in Quebec products, including $ 569 million in fee revenues and $ 8.5 billion in processed products. As for international imports, they are worth $ 4 billion while interprovincial imports worth $ 3.9 billion.
Performing some calculations, we can see that these areas are supplied mainly in Quebec. However, they give more visibility to the source of their purchased products? Among restaurateurs interviewed, we noticed that the recovery of local food was primarily a direction chosen from the foundation of their restaurant. If there's work to raise awareness among other restaurateurs, is it possible for producers to take their game, for example by becoming restaurateur in turn? That's what we'll find out in the last article in our series.
