Laurentides j’en mange is not just a seasonal showcase for local products. It is an invitation to build a collective reflex, to think local at every stage – from the land to the plate.
By valuing what is produced and transformed in the territory, the campaign charts a clear course: to make buying local not only a civic gesture, but a true economic strategy for the entire Laurentians.
Think locally, act regionally
The Laurentians are vast, and each area faces its own unique challenges and strengths. For some, it’s about building on already well-established agricultural production; for others, it’s about compensating for a region that is more consumer than producer by developing distribution channels and closer ties between producers, processors, and restaurateurs. In all cases, local sourcing becomes a common thread: by bringing production closer to consumption, economic benefits are maximized and food self-sufficiency is strengthened.
This is what Laurentides j’en mange (Laurentians, I eat it) proposes: a campaign that refuses to compartmentalize and instead encourages collaboration. Producers, processors, restaurateurs, and distributors move forward together, and this network creates a chain stronger than the sum of its parts. This goes beyond the simple individual reflex of buying local to embrace a structuring regional strategy, where sourcing becomes the driving force of a sustainable economy.
Laurentides, I eat it , what is it?
The campaign operates on a simple principle: leveraging the power of large distributors and restaurateurs to give visibility to smaller agri-food producers and processors. Specifically, to participate, retailers must offer a minimum of five local products in their stores, and restaurants at least three. The initiative also relies on the “Aliments du Québec” database, which lists more than 340 businesses in the Laurentians. All these stakeholders are then contacted and invited to join the movement.
How to get involved in the movement?
Interested distributors, restaurateurs, or processors can contact the coordination team directly by writing to casselin@groupejcl.ca . Because by buying, cooking, or promoting local products, everyone contributes to fostering regional pride and supporting the local economy.