La Experience the value of cooperation
Media Kit 2015
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Table of contents
1. La Coop fédérée at a glance 2. La Coop fédérée Brands 3. Members of the board office at La Coop fédérée 4. La Coop fédérée Board of Directors 5. La Coop fédérée and employment 6. La Coop fédérée background 7. La Coop fédérée and innovation
INFORMATIONS: Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
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La Coop fédérée at a glance The co-op is more than a simple type of company. It is a business philosophy. At the end of 2014, the La Coop fédérée network had 98 affiliated co-operatives, the properties of some 100,000 members. La Coop fédérée and its affiliated network, whose facilities are located throughout Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, employed more than 16,000 people with sales totalling $ 9.1 billion. Based on the principles of the Statement of Co-operative Identity adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance, La Coop fédérée is structured to allow a free and open association for all. The democratic philosophy of the organization is exercised by the peer-based election of members who assume the administration for the affiliated co-operatives. It is these designated delegates and substitutes who represent the co-ops during conferences. A Board of Directors with 15 elected members from 14 regional territories and 1 provincial territory of La Coop fédérée work on the commercial and associative business of the company. An Executive Committee devotes its energies to the study of the files and issues of La Coop fédérée.
Delegates
elect the 15 Administrators
The Board of La Coop fédérée
335 Delegates
98 Co-operatives
15 Administrators elect
Executive Committee 5 members
1 President 90,000 Auxiliary Members and Regular Members 549 Administrators
Other delegations
The Board appoints
549 Administrators
the general management officers
appoint the delegates
Elected by the members
appointed or elected by the Board to various boards and committees
Chief Executive Officer
74 General Managers Elected by the administrators
General Secretary
Chief Financial Officer Data from 2014
INFORMATIONS: Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
La Coop fédérée sectors of industry Strong through its distinct co-operative nature, its fiscal solidity and the expertise of its human resources, La Coop fédérée aims at being the best agricultural and food product supply business in Canada. Its activities are focused in the following divisions: • Agri-business Division (crop and livestock production, marketing of grains); • Retail and Innovation Division (hardware, materials, energy); • Meat Division (meat processing)
La Coop fédérée – Mission Statement Contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the agricultural producer members and affiliated co-operatives: • by developing an integrated co-operative supply network of professional products and services that belongs to, is managed by and is administered by the members themselves; • by maximising the use of a network of complementary businesses, controlled • by them and generating clear benefits; • by allowing the producer members to join together in a democratic coordination of the added-value production line they are involved in; • by encouraging co-operative education and by applying co-operative values.
Values of La Coop fédérée Honesty: Each person acts with a constant concern for transparency, within the enterprise as well as in relationships with other cooperative members and other parties present in La Coop’s network. Each person is capable of admitting their mistakes, giving credit when due and trying to avoid conflicts of interest.
Fairness: Each person, as well as each working group, treats their partners fairly and justly. We believe that everyone has a right to find their place, to be recognized and to develop themselves within La Coop’s vast network.
Personal and mutual responsibility: Each person takes on fully their function within La Coop’s network, notably in maintaining the sound management of the collective heritage of members, in ensuring their own commitments are fulfilled, in answering for their own actions and in subscribing to the objectives of sustainable development.
Solidarity: Motivated by a desire for mutual assistance, we provide counsel to one another in achieving common objectives and projects. We work together with an open and coherent approach and we rally to decisions aimed at the common good of La Coop’s network.
La Coop fédérée in some figures Here are a few figures that illustrate the importance of La Coop fédérée to our economy
Products (in thousands of dollars) 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
$ 5 376 073 $ 5 185 952 $ 4 867 113 $ 4 442 438 $ 3 947 871
Surplus before patronage refunds and taxes on the surplus (in thousands of dollars) 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
$ $ $ $ $
77 267 23 727 96 585 92 686 36 077
Patronage refunds (in thousands of dollars) 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
$ $ $ $ $
25 000 — 32 216 36 500 11 500
Working capital (in thousands of dollars) 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
$ 274 029 $ 206 559 $ 212 606 $ 170 068 $ 92 898
Preferred shares and equity (in thousands of dollars) 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
$ 684 142 $ 594 107 $ 590 372 $ 457 121 $ 440 518
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La Coop fédérée Brands By definition, a network collects, combines, transmits and shares. And those connected to it, from producer to consumer, may feel in their environment, all it gives off good vibes. Denis Richard President
A network with five brands active in two business sectors. Sector
Sectors of activity
Agri-business Division
Crop production, livestock production, marketing of grain
Retail and Innovation Division
Hardware and building materials
Brands
Energy
Meat Division
Meat processing
Crop production, animal production, marketing of grains. Québec leader in the development of seed crops for over 30 years, Elite specializes in the development and sale of corn, soybean, canola, and other grains. Elite is a La Coop fédérée trademark and is part of the integrated La Coop supply network.
INFORMATIONS: Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
La Coop is now the largest supplier of seeds, crop protection products and fertilizers in Québec, in addition to being a major player in the feed industry. It also has leadership in grain marketing in Quebec. This is largely thanks to an experienced staff of nearly 300 consultants and advisors who work in the La Coop network that can meet the needs of agricultural producers in terms of product quality and the services necessary to better operate their farm business. • A pool of 12 feed mills with 2 facilities specializing in ruminants, 7 facilities specializing in monogastrics, and 3 multi-species facilities in the region • 1 minerals & micro – premix plant • 2 principal Provincial distribution centers and 2 secondary Provincial distribution centers
• 1,625,000 metric tonnes of grain traded last year • 55,000 crop lines studied in over 84,000 research plots • More than 42% of the soybeans produced in Québec are marketed by Elite Grains • 58 million eggs hatched and 1.3 million laying hens produced annually • 2.2 million metric tonnes of feed delivered last year • Quebec research stations in crop, pork and poultry production • Partner in Co-operative Research Farms (CRF), the largest livestock nutrition research organization in the world. • Sole Quebec-based supplier of swine genetics in the province through its Sogeporc subsidiary.
Hardware and building materials The mission of La Coop fédérée throughout its hardware stores is to provide its members and consumers with products that they need, in their own communities and at competitive prices. Today, La Coop fédérée offers some 350 Unimat and BMR hardware stores and renovation centers to consumers and entrepreneurs spread across the province of Quebec, as well as in Ontario and in the Maritimes.
• 7500 employees • Present in 5 Canadian provinces With its BMR and Unimat banners, La Coop fédérée is Quebec’s second biggest player in the hardware retail sector.
Energy For over 50 years, Sonic has provided agricultural producers, businesses and consumers great service and unmatched supply security. In addition to offering a full range of products (diesel, gasoline, oil, propane, lubricants, biofuels, biomass and specialty products), it provides clients with a wide range of equipment for storage and heating.
• 185 service stations • 28 Sonicartes • 8 bulk stations • 8 sales offices • 150 trucks and semitrailers serving all areas of Québec • More than 90 distribution and delivery agents • 900 million litres of diesel, gasoline, fuel oil and propane • The largest independent distributor of oil products in Québec • Leader in biofuels
Meats Through its Olymel subsidiary company, La Coop is present from one end of the processing chain to the other. Olymel is the largest exporter of pork and poultry in Canada and its products can be tasted on every continent. Almost 10,000 employees work each day so that consumers can appreciate high quality poultry and pork. La Coop fédérée works with agricultural producers to plan the supply in collaboration with specialists in health, nutrition and breeding to continuously improve the Olymel products.
• Meat processing (1,740,000 chickens/week and 120,000 pigs/week) • 32 plants • Principal brand names: Olymel, Flamingo, Lafleur, Prince and Galco • Canadian leader in the slaughter, processing and marketing of poultry and pork.
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Members of the head office at La Coop fédérée
Gaétan Desroches Chief Executive Officer Gaétan Desroches has worked for agricultural co-operative services and La Coop fédérée for more than 30 years. He was a representative for crop production at Comax agricultural co-operative until he joined La Coop fédérée in 1983, in the same position. From 1986, he successively served as Technical Adviser, Sales Director and Marketing Director for the Crop Production sector. In 1994, he was promoted to Director of the Crop Sector and the Food Laboratory of the Agricultural Supplies Division, and then Director of Agriculture, before being named Chief Operating Officer in 2006. In 2014, Gaétan Desroches became Chief Executive Officer of La Coop fédérée. Mr. Desroches is a graduate of Agricultural Sciences from Laval University and holds an MBA from the University of Sherbrooke.
Paul Noiseux Chief Financial Officer Paul Noiseux is CFO of La Coop fédérée. Mr. Noiseux previously served as Treasurer and as Vice President, Finance, of Olymel, the division responsible for the slaughtering and processing of hogs and chickens per week, and the marketing of its products under the Olymel, Lafleur, Flamingo, Prince and Galco Brands, in some sixty countries. Prior to joining La Coop fédérée, Mr. Noiseux was Vice President of Finance and Administration for Tyson Canada. Paul Noiseux has a Bachelor’s degree of Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Jean-François Harel General Secretary, Sustainable Development and Cooperative Affairs INFORMATIONS: Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
Maître Jean-François Harel has been at the centre of La Coop fédérée since 1989. Holding a Bachelor’s of Law from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a graduate diploma in management studies at l’école des Hautes Études Commerciales, Mr. Harel benefits from a solid experience within the decision-making structures of La Coop network. He has been entrusted with a number of mandates which he has always successfully accomplished and he now works in the position of General Secretary of La Coop fédérée.
Sébastien Léveillé Executive Vice President Agribusiness Sébastien Léveillé has extensive experience within the La Coop network where he began his career in 2002 as Director of Sales and Marketing for Agrinove, agri-food co-operative and, subsequently, General Manager of La Coop Pont-Rouge. When he joined La Coop fédérée in 2008, he served successively as Director of Marketing and Director of Marketing and Communications before being appointed Head of Business Development and Communications, then Vice-president Agricultural. Mr. Léveillé holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics. He sits on the Réseau Marketing du Cercle des présidents du Québec and numerous committees of La Coop network.
François Dupont Executive Vice President Retail and Innovation François Dupont has worked at La Coop fédérée since 1985, first as controller for the dairy industry division, then as director of financial and administration services for the petroleum products division. In 1995, he became director of marketing for the residential and commercial services of the petroleum products division, and then finally in 2003 he was appointed as director general for the Sonic Energy sector. Under his direction, the energy sector has seen numerous developments and partnerships that have been very profitable for the organization and La Coop Network. Mr. Dupont holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Université du Québec à Hull and is certified as a Chartered Accountant.
Bertrand Gagnon Senior Vice President, Management Consulting and Technologies Bertrand Gagnon is an experienced manager having worked in several sectors of activity and areas of expertise, notably in the management of transformation programs, strategic and financial planning as well as performance management. He has been very much involved in the important development initiatives for the La Coop fédérée over the last three years as Senior Director for Project Management during the first two years, then as head of Business Solutions and Information Technologies since March 2011 to June 2014. Before joining La Coop fédérée, Mr. Gagnon worked within the Caisses Desjardins network, including as Senior Director for Development and Supply Integration. He holds a bachelor’s degree in administration, mathematics and physics from the Royal Military College Saint-Jean.
Mario Leclerc Senior Vice President, Human Resources Mario Leclerc began his career as the personnel manager in a manufacturing company from the Beauce region. He joined La Coop fédérée in 1982 as an Employment Relationship Advisor before being named with Head of the department in 1988. Since 1995, he has occupied the post of Human Resources Director. Mario Leclerc is a graduate in labour relations from Laval University. He is member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles du Québec.
Me Alain Garneau Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs Mr. Alain Garneau is one of the top experts in Laws governing agricultural product marketing and sales and those governing co-operatives in Québec. He has worked at La Coop fédérée for 29 years and until very recently occupied the position of Director of litigation. Over the years, Mr. Garneau has contributed to the rise of the co-operative movement in marketing negotiations. In addition to acting as an adviser to the leaders of the network, he was central to negotiations concerning large scale projects, including the acquisition of the Red Deer factory, in Alberta, by Olymel, s.e.c and the integration of Supraliment. Mr. Garneau was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1974.
Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs Ben Marc Diendéré worked successively at the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec (SODEC) and at Partenariat international. Prior to joining La Coop fédérée, he served from 2005 to 2011 as Senior Director institutional relations, public and corporate affairs, for Quebecor Media Inc. Ben Marc Diendéré holds a graduate degree of HEC Montreal. He also holds a Master’s degree in management and marketing of Sorbonne Assas - Institut français de presse - Paris 2 and a Masters in Sociology Information and Communication of the University of Ouagadougou.
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The La Coop fédérée Board of Directors The La Coop fédérée Board of Directors is composed of 15 elected officials representing 14 regional territories and 1 provincial territory. In addition to electing the president, they have the responsibility to name the members of the management staff.
Denis Richard President Grain producer After holding several positions with La Coop fédérée since 1993, Denis Richard became its President in February 2003. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Olymel s.e.c. and sits on the Board of Directors of La Coop Parisville, of which he served as President from 1985 to 1994. An agricultural producer since 1979, Mr. Richard operates a farm business in Leclercville on 400 hectares of land, exclusively dedicated to grain growing. He is also founding President of La Coopérative d’utilisation de machinerie agricole (CUMA) of Leclercville, holding this office since 1994. In addition to having served as President of the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité, Mr. Richard is Vice-President of the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité. Mr. Richard is Certified Board Director.
Ghislain Gervais First Vice President Poultry and crop producer
RENSEIGNEMENTS : BBen Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
Elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in 2011, and as first Vice President in 2014, Ghislain Gervais has sat on the Board of Directors of La Coop Agrilait for 12 years, including 11 as President. Graduate in Gestion et exploitation de l’entreprise agricole (Agricultural Business Management and Operation) from ITA, the Saint-Hyacinthe campus, Mr. Gervais is a poultry producer in Saint-Guillaume. He runs two poultry barns with a capacity of 24,000 roast chickens each. He shares the property with his spouse, Josianne Béland, his father, Cyrille, his mother, Jocelyne and brother, Claude. Together, they also have 364 hectares of field crops, including corn, soya, wheat, sweet corn and canning peas. For several years, Ghislain Gervais also sat on the UPA trade union of her region, on the Board of Directors of the agro-environmental Yamasol and the Centre local de développement (CLD) of Saint-Guillaume.
Luc Forget Second Vice President Dairy and crop producer Luc Forget was elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in February 1999. Since 2007, he has been a member of the Executive Committee and has occupied the position of Second Vice President since 2011 in addition to being Vice President of La Coop Profid’Or Board of Directors since 1989. Active in the co-operative movement since 1981, Mr. Forget continues a long family tradition with 60 dairy cows and 400 hectares of crops in Laval. Over the years, he has worked with various regional and provincial agricultural organizations. Mr. Forget is Certified Board Director.
Serge Boivin Member of the Executive Committee Dairy producer Serge Boivin was elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in 2010 and to the Executive Committee in 2013. Mr. Boivin completed an agri‑technical course at the Frontalière de Coaticook polyvalente. Since 1998, he became a co‑owner, with his wife, Annie Lévesque, of the Juar farm, in Coaticook. They represent the fifth generation of Boivins to farm in the Cantons-de-l’Est. Their company includes a herd of 110 dairy cows and 350 acres of cultured land. Elected to the La Coop des Cantons Board of Directors in 2002, Serge Boivin has been President since 2005. He also served on the local union of the UPA, was a member of Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec and served as Vice President of the Groupe-conseil de gestion de Coaticook. He also was the President of La Coop des Cantons from 2005 to 2012. He is a founding member and Director of a coopérative d’utilisation de machineries agricoles (CUMA) established in 1995.
Muriel Dubois Member of the Executive Committee Dairy producer Ms. Dubois holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the Université Laval (1992). Since she finished her studies, Ms. Dubois has been farming at her parents’ farm in Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults with her husband, Stéphan Rouleau, who also holds a degree in agricultural economics from Université Laval. The dairy farm that they operate with Ms. Dubois’ mother has 85 head, with 48 milking cows. She has been a Director at La coop Covilac since 1998 and has been President since 2010. In addition to this engagement in La Coop’s network, Ms. Dubois was a Director at the Société d’agriculture du Lac Saint-Pierre, notably as Vice-President and President. She has also occupied a seat on the governing board of the school in her municipality. A delegate and animator for Agropur, she is also a councillor for the Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults municipality.
Marc A. Turcotte Administrator Dairy producer Marc A. Turcotte has been elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in 2003. Graduate of the École d’agriculture de Sainte-Croix de Lotbinière, he bought his father’s farm, located in Val-Brillant, in 1982. He now runs a dairy farm with his sister Jacinthe. Mr. Turcotte has been the Administrator for La Coop Matapédienne since 1994 and assumed the Presidency from 2001 to 2007. He sat on the Val‑Brillant municipal council, where he was Mayor for several years. He was also a member of the Comité administratif et responsable de la sécurité publique de la MRC de la Matapédia. And finally, Mr. Turcotte was a member of the Table de concertation agroalimentaire régionale from 2000 to 2002, and a Certified Board Director.
Normand Marcil Administrator Dairy producer Elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in February 2002, Normand Marcil has also been an Administrator for Nutrinor, agri-food co-operative of Saguenay Lac St-Jean, since 1993. A graduate in agricultural technology from Alma College, Mr. Marcil runs, as a joint owner with his two brothers and his son, a 427 hectares dairy and cereal farm, located at Normandin. Their herd count is 150 pure bred Holsteins. Strongly engaged in his medium, he took part in the creation of the Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec (FRAQ) which he chaired for three years. He was also the President his area’s Centre régional des jeunes agriculteurs.
Françoise Mongrain Administrator Dairy producer Elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in February 2007, Francoise Mongrain has been an Administrator with La Coop Amos since 1994, where she also acted as President from 2000 to 2007. She took part, with the other Administrators of her region, in a reorganization of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue co-operatives, now amalgamated within the La Coop Val‑Nord. Re-elected in 2009, she was President of this new co-operative until 2010. Since 1990, Mrs. Mongrain has been part owner of a dairy farm with 52 cows and operates 197 hectares of cultivated land with an additional 255 hectares of woodlands in Saint-Félix-de-Dalquier, with her husband Réjean, son Frédérick and daughter Valérie. She distinguished herself in 2005 by winning the prestigious title of Farmer of the Year. In 2006, she was named Female Personality of the Year at the Gala Elite Amos-region for the excellence of her achievements and commitment to the community.
Jean Bissonnette Administrator Dairy producer Jean Bissonnette was elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in 2011. He has been the Administrator of La Coop des Frontières since 2001 and chaired it since 2006. He has also sat on the Grain Elite follow-up committee for three years. Mr. Bissonnette and his wife, Elyse Gendron, are joint shareholders of Ferme Val-Bisson inc., located in Saint-Polycarpe. Their purebred Holstein herd counts 70 cows and 65 heifers, whose average production is approximately 12,000 kilos. The couple direct seeds its 155-hectares spread evenly between prairie land, corn and soya. Mr. Bissonnette has a college degree in zoo technology from the Saint-Hyacinthe campus of ITA. He previously held the positions of Vice President of the AJRQ as well as president of the management union (syndicat de gestion) and his region’s Holstein club. He has also played an active role in local boards of directors for agriculture’s next generation and the CAB (cattle improvement circle). Mr. Bissonnette has been an administrator with Promutuel Vaudreuil-Soulanges for nearly 20 years. He is also a delegate for Agropur and a district delegate for the St-Jean-Valleyfield division of the Fédération des producteurs de lait (federation of dairy farmers).
Mathieu Couture Administrator Dairy producer Mathieu Couture was elected to the La Coop fédérée Board of Directors in 2011. An agronomist by training and 1983 Laval University graduate, Mr. Couture is a dairy farmer in St. Ephrem, Beauce. Before settling on the farm in 1984, he was a consultant to La Coop St. Casimir, Portneuf for a year and a half. Today he runs a herd of 140 Holstein and 242 hectares of land, with his daughter Marie-Pier, a graduate of the ITA, Saint-Hyacinthe Campus. Mr. Couture was appointed to the Board of Directors of La Coop Alliance in 1989 where he sits as President since 1997. He was President of the Exposition agricole de Beauce and President of the Agricultural Society of Beauce for several years.
Benoit Massicotte Administrator Dairy producer Benoit Massicotte was elected to La Coop fédérée’s Board of Directors in February 2012. His involvement with La Coop’s network goes back to 2004, when he joined the cooperative CoopPlus (now La Coop Univert) as a director. With a diploma from École d’agriculture de SainteCroix-de-Lotbinière (specialization in dairy production) in 1983, today he operates a dairy farm and agri-food enterprise with his parents, Paul and Lise Massicotte, his wife, Linda Frigon and two of his brothers, André and Louis. Their farm operation – la Ferme Paul Massicotte et fils – have 240 purebred Holsteins, 120 milking cows and 285 ha (700 acres) of crops. The agri-food divison of the farm processes agricultural products and markets a large variety of salads and pies. Benoit Massicotte is also an animator with Agropur, a municipal councillor and a volunteer firefighter. One of his three children, Alexandre, 23, is already involved in planning the farm transfer process.
Rosaire Beaulieu Administrator Dairy producer A dairy producer from Rivière-Bleue, in the Témiscouata region, Rosaire Beaulieu is co-owner along with his spouse, Lise Ouellet, and their daughter Annie, of a high producing herd of 60 cows. After completing his studies at the ITA de La Pocatière, he returned to the family farm where he gradually became involved in the farm union and cooperative movements. In 1985, he made his debut in the network by taking a seat on the board of directors of the Société coopérative agricole de la Côte Sud, today known as the Groupe coopératif Dynaco, headquartered in La Pocatière, and has been president since 1998.
Richard Ferland Administrator Dairy producer Richard Ferland was elected to La Coop fédérée’s Board of Directors in 2014. Constituting the fifth generation of a family of farmers, Mr. Ferland and his wife, Odette Desrosiers, acquired the family farm in 1990, in Sainte-Marie. Since then, the production has double; Mr. Ferland owns a herd of a hundred cows. He has been the Administrator of La Coop Unicoop since 1998 and chaired as President from 2010 to 2014. Mr. Ferland is a graduate of the ITA, La Pocatière Campus. He is also the father of nine children.
Stéphane Morel Administrator Dairy Producer Elected to the board of directors of La Coop fédérée in February 2015, Stéphane Morel represents Territory No. 11. After earning his bachelor of agricultural science from Université Laval in 1985, he was employed by La Financière agricole du Québec and at La Coop Agrodor as a representative. In 1991, he purchased a dairy farm in Lac-du-Cerf, in the MRC Antoine-Labelle. La Ferme Stéphanic s.e.n.c. now has 32.15kg of quota and his herd of purebred Ayrshires growscontinually. A director with La Coop Agrodor since 2001, Mr. Morel has also been a member of the board of directors for Laiterie des trois vallées in Mont-Laurier since 1992, and the president since 2004. He is originally from Quebec City.
Cathy Fraser Administrator Dairy Producer Cathy Fraser has been a director with La Coop fédérée since February 2015. She represents Territory No. 8, the provincial territory reserved for a woman representative. Elected in 2010 to the board of directors of La Coop St-Casimir, now merged with La Coop Univert, she has held the positions of vice-present and member of the credit committee since 2014. With a diploma in civil engineering technology, Ms. Fraser worked in this field for six years before becoming, in 2006, a shareholder in Ferme Galyco SENC in Lac-aux-Sables in the Mauricie region. This dairy farm, which she operates with her husband, has 80 head of cattle with 50 milking cows. As a woman farmer she is also manager of a restaurant in which she is a part-owner. Very involved in her community, she is a member of the urban development advisory committee for her municipality, as well as founding member and volunteer for the last several years for the Summer Festival at Lac-aux-Sables. She is also involved in the organization of several sport and after-school activities for children.
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La Coop fédérée background Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the leading Québec agri-food company today.
Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée has become a vital Quebec agri-food company. Closely linked to the growth of agriculture and its practices, its history is a testament to 90 years of success for the co-operative business model and the values they extol.
1920 to 1930 La Coop fédérée begins The great choices that led to the success of La Coop fédérée • Agri-food supply • Meats • Oil products • Hardware and agricultural machinery
During this era, two-thirds of Quebecers lived in the country and practiced some form of agriculture. Some co-operatives were setting-up to supply farmers and process their products. On December 29th, 1922, the Loi de La Coop fédérée received royal consent. This law would consecrate the creation of the Fédération des coopératives agricoles du Québec, through the merger of three co-operatives. During 1923, Arsène Denis became the first President of La Coop fédérée - known at the time as the Coopérative fédérée de Québec – and a head office was set up in Montréal. La Coop fédérée also developed an important network of branches throughout the province. In 1927, the provincial government, which took an active part in the funding and the operation of La Coop fédérée, created a team that travelled the province to better inform about the operational principles of co-operatives.
RENSEIGNEMENTS : Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
The 1929 stock market crash had repercussions for the agricultural industry. Producers who were in debt to improve their operations suffered from lower prices (a situation that would cause the Québec government to create the Office du crédit agricole. La Coop fédérée was hit hard, but it received the support of the new Minister of Agriculture, Joseph-Léonide Perron, who would submit an ambitious plan to stimulate agricultural development.
1930 to 1950 One period of change Beginning in the 1930s, La Coop fédérée was active in four sectors: • butters and cheeses; • agricultural fertilizers; • seeds and mineral fertilizers; • the sale of farm products. At the heart of the milk industry there was a long-lasting and fierce competition between La Coop fédérée and Le Comptoir coopératif, created in 1929 by the Union of Catholic Farmers (UCC). The Comptoir was finally integrated into La Coop fédérée in 1938. Finally, in 1939, a hundred or so co-operative trade unions have affiliated with La Coop fédérée, creating unity within the co-operative movement.
In 1945, La Coop fédérée modernized its mills and poultry facilities. The dairy sector was reorganized and it entered into farm equipment sales. Continuing its educational role, La Coop fédérée offered courses on the technical aspects of machinery, creating a bond of trust with farmers.
1950 to 1980 the era of growth During the war, La Coop fédérée became a large company and tripled its number of employees. In the middle of the 50s, the company employed more than one thousand people, becoming a significant economic factor in Québec. Also in the mid-50s, La Coop fédérée bought the Legrade Company, specialized in the slaughter and sales of meat. Then, in 1958, following a need expressed by farmers, it added petroleum products to its services. By 1974, La Coop fédérée’s oil distribution network had already gathered 58 co-operatives, 12 Fédérée centres and 75 service stations. In 1966, La Coop fédérée came to the aid of any affiliated co-operative in difficulty by creating the first “Agricultural Coop Center”, with the objective to return companies to co‑operators as fast as possible. La Coop fédérée took an important step in the poultry sector in 1975 by acquiring Quebec Poultry. Of the 75 million chickens raised by the Quebec poultry breeders, two-thirds are prepared by La Coop fédérée and the co-operatives of Saint-Anselme and Saint-Damase.
1980 to the present La Coop fédérée, leader La Coop fédérée merged the activities of its meats division, Turcotte & Turmel, with the Olympia Group ltée in 1991. From this merger was born the Olymel company, which is now Canada’s largest exporter of pork and poultry products. In 1990, Groupe Lactel, a merger of the dairy division of La Coop fédérée and five affiliated co‑operatives, became the largest private exporter of dairy products in Canada. In 1993, the poultry processing division of La Coop fédérée changed its name to Flamingo Chicken for better brand recognition. In 1994, Pétroles Sonic became the first Québec distributor to offer fuel containing ethanol and in 2000, La Coop fédérée sold its shares in the Lactel Group to Agropur.
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In 2004, the largest agricultural co-operative of Québec changed its image and name to become La Coop fédérée. This new image reflected the dynamism of a company that, from generation to generation, has inspired the passion of people and the earth. In 2005, La Coop fédérée set up the Porc-Coop to be a first step in the establishment of a genuine pork co-operative. In 2008, La Coop fédérée acquired the Agronomy Company of Canada Ltd, a large fertilizer distribution company, which makes of it the largest distributor of crop production supplies in eastern Canada. Since 2008, La Coop fédérée and its affiliated cooperatives have invested in a comprehensive reform of their business model called Chrysalide. The Chrysalide project’s goal to think globally and act locally. It aims to achieve specific economies of scale to large organizations while maintaining the involvement of cooperatives in their communities, eliminating duplication costs associated with the federal structure, and by giving a group consistency. This project also involves an extensive modernization of computer structures in La Coop network. In 2014 , La Coop fédérée acquired the assets of Big Sky Farms, which has been renamed OlySky. With a herd of 42,000 sows, annual OlySky production amounts to one million porks. In February 2015, La Coop fédérée announced that BMR Group is now one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. It thus exercised its option rights after the acquisition of a minority stake in 2013.
RENSEIGNEMENTS : Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected] Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
Coop Honesty Fairness Responsibility Solidarity
INFORMATIONS:
Office: 514 858-2079 Cellphone: 514 710-9772 Twitter: Marc_ben LinkedIn: Ben Marc www.lacoop.coop
108812-02-15
Ben Marc Diendéré Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs La Coop fédérée
[email protected]
