Le Grognon

With his business degree in hand from HEC, Serge Boivin joined the team at Procter & Gamble in specialized sales. After four years with the company, he took a one-year sabbatical and when those 12 months passed, one thing was clear: it was time to put his knowledge to use in his own business. So out in the Eastern Townships, Serge opened Les Sucreries de l’Érable to bring to market one of Quebec's most popular, locally made products.

With a full line of pies, tarts and pastries, the company grew steadily, but after a few years, Serge was pondering the next step. When a long-time friend put his bakery café up for sale in 2008, Serge knew he chanced upon the perfect strategy. He bought the three-location café and began sprucing up the menu with his line of maple-laced treats. “Autour d’un Pain was a great complement to my business,” says Serge. “I felt that connecting them would help both grow and it would give people easy access to a variety of affordable and high-quality artisan foods in one place.”