The family dairy Laiterie de Coaticook is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year!
The history of Laiterie de Coaticook has been written thanks to the succession at its head of several families and natives of the region. They all shared the same goal: to make this dairy a sustainable business. Founded in 1940 by Arthur Bédard, Arthur St-Cyr and Henri Gérin, Laiterie de Coaticook then specialized in the manufacture, bottling and distribution of various pasteurized dairy products. In 1942, under the leadership of Arthur Bédard, who had become the sole owner, and his sons, the dairy started producing ice cream, which is still famous to this day. In 1968, a group of citizens of Coaticook temporarily acquired the business. The dairy finally passed into the hands of the Provencher family in 1976.The second generation of Provencher also marks the history of the dairy thanks to Jean and his sister Johanne who in 1989 offered new products to differentiate themselves from its competitors with ice cream logs, iced milk, cheddar cheese and goat cheese. The company which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year is experiencing constant growth with its offer of distinct and innovative products. However, it is the Coaticook vanilla ice cream, its long-standing flagship product, that wins the award for the most popular ice cream in Quebec!
