Bo Sirop in Grand-Remous is not a traditional sugar bush. Meals are not served in the spring. What makes it stands out is instead its original alcoholic products manufactured from biological maple syrup.
At the outset, this adventure was a hobby for Johanne Bonenfant and Éric Bélanger, who had just left the region where they were born, Abitibi, to settle in the Gatineau Valley. Today, Bo-Sirop enjoys a great reputation and fills a niche that is seldom exploited in Quebec.
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An entrepreneurial spirit
Work is what brought the couple to Grand-Remous in 2000. “My spouse is an industrial mechanic, and there were no jobs open for him in Abitibi. He was hired by a company in Bois-Franc. In 2007, for pure family enjoyment, we purchased a small sugar bush in St-Jean-sur-le-Lac close to Mont-Laurier. We had 350 notches that produced our maple syrup. We fell in love with that hobby.”
The next year, the couple decided to make a living with maple syrup production by purchasing their current sugar bush in Grand-Remous. “Éric always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a teen, he had a paintball operation, and I helped him with his company. We put together a business plan and built our sugar bush at our pace, and without breaking our backs, we have gone from 5,000 to 18,000 notches since we opened.”
“WE FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS PASTIME”
The tremendous potential of alcoholic products
In 2014, the couple decided to transform the surplus maple syrup rather than sell it to the Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec in order to increase the company’s profitability. Bo-Sirop then applied for a craft permit to produce maple alcoholic beverages.
“Éric took a course in Mirabel to obtain this permit, and we worked with an oenologist for a year. Training provides the basis, and through trial and error, our aim was to produce the best possible recipes. Our first cuvee in Grand-Remous consisting of 600 bottles of maple mistela with an 18% alcohol content sold out in three weeks. We immediately saw that these alcoholic beverages had tremendous potential. We had something new, which fulfilled a market need.”
Since that time, Bo-Sirop has marketed l’Entaille, a maple wine, Fine Bule, a sparkling maple wine made using the traditional method, and a maple rosé wine flavoured with camerise, a small fruit produced in Montcerf-Lytton. These alcohols are aged in oak vats or in a tub for months. The couple is hoping to add new products in the next few years. “It’s really exciting to find new recipes,” added Ms. Bonenfant.
“WE WANT TO GET INTO SOMETHING NEW, WHICH MET A MARKET NEED.”
Products are available at several points of sale
The 18,000 notches yield somewhere around 70,000 pounds of syrup or slightly more than 5,000 gallons a year. Since alcoholic products account for the lion’s share of Bo-Sirop’s revenues, the couple wants to continue innovating in this area over the coming years.
“For the time being, we have no plans to increase the number of notches we have or to purchase another sugar bush,” Ms. Bonenfant points out. “We’re cruising right along, but we have to have fun while we work. We keep an eye peeled for opportunities. The Gatineau Valley provides us with a good quality of life and gives us a chance to take full advantage of it. And we have a good profit margin that allows us to enjoy life in this enchanting setting.”
People can visit Bo-Sirop’s facilities to purchase products at the boutique. Products are mainly sold in the Outaouais through the sugar bush boutique or in various points of sale, including the Domaine de l’Ange-Gardien, one of the largest sugar bushes in the Outaouais. The owners have also noted that Europeans account for a sizeable number of purchases while they are visiting in The Gatineau Valley.
“THE GATINEAU VALLEY OFFERS GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE AND GIVES US A CHANCE TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT.”
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