Having completed her studies in horticulture, Chantal Labelle never thought she would one day find herself managing her own garlic production farm. And yet, here she is today, at the head of La Belle Gousse , accompanied for almost three years by Laurent Dubois, its “right-hand man”, who thanks to his multiple talents has allowed the company to gain new momentum.
Portrait of a farmer and her farm who will introduce you to Quebec garlic in all its forms!
Switching from flowers to garlic flower
Chantal's journey is the perfect example to describe the expression “chance does things well”. In fact, it was thanks to one of her contacts in the horticultural world that she started growing garlic, even though initially she knew almost nothing about it.
Together, they started a project to grow 10,000 garlic plants. With the years and learning, she caught the bug for this culture, to such an extent that when her business partner at the time dissociated herself from the project, she continued to cultivate garlic of her own free will. Small scale.
Wishing to see her small business develop, it was finally in 2011 that Chantal bought the farmhouse which today houses La Belle Gousse.
La Belle Gousse: more than a farm, a guarantee of quality
When it first started, La Belle Gousse farm only produced long-life autumn garlic. The goal was simple, but important: to grow superior quality garlic, from seed to drying method for long-term storage.
And at La Belle Gousse, there is no question of using pesticides or chemical fertilizers! The quality of production is based on an ecological cultivation approach based on precise parameters, which give the garlic plants enough space and ventilation to grow well without the addition of chemicals.
Then, with the years and the desire to see her business evolve, Chantal naturally began to create processed garlic products, starting with dehydrated garlic and garlic scapes.
Today, the farm offers an impressive range of garlic, garlic scape and black garlic products (their star product!): black garlic honey, garlic scape pesto, garlic powder, marinated garlic… It is not for nothing that the farm proudly displays its slogan: “Garlic in all its forms”!
Moreover, La Belle Gousse's guarantee of quality always remains at the level of the processed products. The ingredients that Chantal does not produce herself mainly come from neighboring farms, or from Quebec at least.
For example, the garlic flower pesto recipe replaces the olive oil with Quebec sunflower oil, first cold pressed, and the traditional pine nuts with Quebec hemp seeds.
A 100% local company, just the way we like them!
A visit to La Belle Gousse farm
Contact with people and education about growing garlic have always been important to Chantal Labelle. In recent years, it has wanted to forge even closer ties with its customers and its community by creating a more complete agritourism offer.
For some time now, the farm has been developing an interpretation circuit on garlic cultivation, a unique project in Quebec. The latter allows you to answer questions about the particular cultivation of autumn garlic, the stages of harvesting and drying garlic for its long storage, the processing of black garlic, etc.
It is also possible to visit La Belle Gousse through a agro-educational tour organized by Traktour . During this visit, you will have the chance to meet Chantal and her team, and learn everything about the cultivation of fall garlic and its derived products, in addition to discovering other producers in the Lanaudière region.
A visit to La Belle Gousse can only end with one conclusion: Quebec garlic tastes much better!
