A cheese factory multiplies by 10 the population of her village

Photo special collaboration, Yanick Fish
The owner of the Cheese factory of the presbytery, Jean Morin, did never that of his tastings would attract so many people.

Yanick Fish

Tuesday, 18 July 2017 21:37

UPDATE
Tuesday, 18 July 2017 21:37

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SAINTE-ELIZABETH-DE-WARWICK | A fromagerie du Centre-du-Québec became the main engine of economic growth and tourism in his village. It organizes, every week, an activity that multiplies by 10 its population.

Every Friday, the Cheese in the rectory welcomes people on his land of Sainte-Élizabeth-de-Warwick, near Victoriaville, in order that they come to taste its products. During beautiful summer days, over 3,500 people gather at the former presbytery of the village, turned into cheese-making.

Diversified

In comparison, the municipality of Sainte-Élizabeth-de-Warwick only has 363 citizens.

This is the eighth summer that the owner, Jean Morin, invites the people to the presbytery. He remembered that a dozen people had responded to the first invitation. Each year, the rendezvous has become more and more popular.

Over the years, it has added products to offer cheese-making, including a bakery, a vineyard and a vegetable farmer to settle on the lands of the rectory on Friday evenings.

“We don’t want resellers. We have hosted craftsmen who know their products and are able to talk about it. I would never have thought that we would have got as much success. It now welcomes people from all over the province. I believe that our authenticity has a lot to do “, he explains.

There are no Fridays in the summer than the Cheese-making of the presbytery and attracts tourists, its presence alone has convinced six entrepreneurs to invest in the transformation of the small convenience store in front of it to make it a general store, much more spacious.

It provides complementary foods to the products of the dairy, such as pates, terrines and craft beer.

Photo special collaboration, Yanick Fish

Christopher Darveau
Manager

“It is the success of the Cheese factory which is at the origin of the project of the general store. It is amazing the number of people who pass by here by car or bicycle to taste the cheeses. The idea of tourism gourmet takes on its full meaning, ” says the store manager, Christopher Darveau.

Place of worship

In 2015, the Dairy, which was already well installed in the presbytery, has purchased the nearby church to turn it into a huge room of refinement. Mr. Morin was required to maintain a portion of the place of worship in order to allow the villagers to collect.

With its dozen employees, the Dairy is also the largest employer of this locality, which is composed of 85 % of agricultural land.

“There is not so long ago, the village was zoned green up to the front porch of the church. Has been region free in order to allow the company to expand. It has not ceased to grow since, ” says the mayor, Jeanine Moisan.

In recent years, the Cheese of the presbytery has won numerous awards at the provincial and national levels for the quality of its cheeses.