BY Andrée-Anne Mainville
Dairy farming is among the pillars of the farming industries in the region. At the heart of this activity stands Boréalait, a young family-owned dairy farm that produces and transforms its milk into many dairy delights. Located in Saint-Félix-de-Dalquier, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, it stands out by its products as well as by the kindness of the souls who manage it. Let’s discover this business and some of the values and principles coloring its entrepreneurial process.
A Family Farm Rooted in Passion
Boréalait, it’s Evelyne Rancourt, Benoit Larochelle and their five children: Éloi, Robin, Thomas, Jérôme and Léonie. Set up on the ancestral land of Benoit’s family, the farm began transforming a part of its milk production in 2019.
Beyond simple farming, the family adventure is an emotionally rich humane experience. Everyday, they share their love for the animals and their passion for dairy production with their customers, thus creating a relationship of trust and reciprocal appreciation with the community.
Moreover, the visits at the farm, as well as the purchases at the cheese factory allow the visitors to dive into the Boréalait universe, to observe the workings of the trade, and to live an authentic experience with - let’s be honest - a little taste of coming back again!
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When Local Producers Blend Their Flavours in Abitibi-Témiscamingue
The artisan dairy products made by Boréalait are a true delight for the taste buds and please the fans of dairy sweets. Among the favorites, there are the cheese curds, the yogurt and all of its variants, as well as the milk (you must taste the chocolate milk). Also, Evelyne and Benoit involve many other regional producers directly into their confections.
So, when you eat the Boréalait delights, you also enjoy the jams from La Fraisonnée, the honey from the Miellerie de la Grande Ourse, Temsucre’s maple syrup, as well as many others.
A Commitment to quality and sustainability
Small-scale by choice
Even though Boréalait is small in size, there are no plans for expansion. Evelyne explains that, for them, it’s a way to guarantee the authenticity of the products they make. Indeed, they would not want to risk distorting their nature in the process of industrializing their installations, which would be necessary to increase production. The goal is thus to continue to protect the artisan nature, to keep this “from our family to yours” spirit.
Eco-Friendly packaging and practices
Also, a little visit at the store allows you to notice how ecology is part of the first values of Boréalait. This green philosophy can be observed through their use of returnable bottles for the milk, as well as recyclable and reusable yogurt containers.
Finally, the creamy taste of the products, their delicate texture and their nutritional richness can testify for the love and know-how involved into every step of the dairy production process. Their cheese and yogurt pie, for example, is divine, unctuously smooth. Moreover, it’s Evelyne’s mom’s recipe!
An air of novelty at Boréalait, a family-owned dairy farm
If Boréalait is not a tourist oriented business, it welcomes many visitors every week nonetheless. Many desire to meet the family and learn more about their cheese shop. Thus, the owners are actually trying to develop a way to conjugate the business reality with the idea of a more pedagogical approach to offer to visitors.
In fact, they recently inaugurated an outdoor pavilion: a beautiful space where to eat an ice cream outside, comfortably installed in the shade. Complements will better that area in the future.
Finally, there are also plans to develop new products, such as a variety of fine cheeses. Miummmm!
Why choose regional products?
Next time you enjoy one of their products, remember that behind every mouthful, there is this enthusiastic and loving family. Also, to support a local dairy production, it’s also a way to support a way of living that protects our food heritage!
- What? The Boréalait Dairy Farm
- When? For the 2025 Summer Season
- Wednesday : 10 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday : 10 AM to 6 PM
- Friday : 10 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday : 10 AM to 5 PM
- Sunday : 10 AM to 5 PM
- Where ? 285, Road 109 North, in Saint-Félix-de-Dalquier
