Montreal, November 4, 2013 – A few months after VÔG sweet peppers became available, it’s now time for VÔG organic lettuce to make its way into Metro food stores. Produced by Les Serres Lefort in Sainte-Clotilde-de-Châteauguay, VÔG ORGANIC lettuce will be offered all year long in four varieties: curly- leaf, red baby romaine, Boston and red oak leaf.
“We are constantly trying to maximize the accessibility and the promotion of local products. In that context, we are pleased to once again work with Les Serres Lefort, a great example of an innovative Quebec supplier. Consumers wishing to buy Quebec products will be able to quickly locate this lettuce by the VÔG ORGANIC label and the Aliments du Québec organic label”, said Bernadette Hamel, Metro’s Vice-President, National Procurement – Produce.
This unique product sets itself apart through its unequalled freshness, made possible mainly by its original packaging. A cube of earth called “peat block” enables part of the root system of the lettuce to be maintained, thus doubling the vegetable’s shelf life. VÔG ORGANIC lettuce can be found in Metro stores, and will benefit from a promotional offer during the week beginning November 7.
“We are delighted about this new agreement with Metro and we hope that consumers will once again enjoy our products. Judging by their reaction to our greenhouse sweet peppers, they see a real advantage to eating fresh local products all year long”, commented Sylvain Lefort, President of Les Serres Lefort.
This agreement is in line with the spirit of the local purchasing policy that Metro announced last May, of which one of the three guiding principles is to make Metro the main ally of innovative suppliers. In so doing, Metro confirms its interest for Quebec suppliers who want and who are able to continuously develop their products or their production and who show growth potential with respect to distribution. Metro's local purchasing policy can be consulted on the corporate website. The 2013 update on the progress of Metro's corporate responsibility initiatives is also available. Click here to see it.
METRO INC.
With annual sales of over $11 billion, METRO INC. (TSX: MRU), founded in 1947, is the only major Canadian food distribution company to have its head office in Quebec. Along with its affiliates and franchisees, METRO INC. employs in Quebec and Ontario over 65,000 people, whose mission is to satisfy their customers every day and earn their-long term loyalty. METRO INC. operates a network of almost 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.
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About Les Serres Lefort
Founded in 1984, Les Serres Lefort produces 65 % of plant grafts in Quebec for producers of field crops. The company has also been contracted to grow a large share of greenhouse lettuce sold under the Mirabel label. Since March 15, 2013, it has also been marketing sweet peppers under the VÔG brand, as well as a line of organic products branded VÔG BIO and VÔG ORGANIC. Over the last two years, the company invested more than $15M in its development, primarily to convert its energy infrastructure to a biomass-fuelled one. This move was intended to make the business reflective of the values espoused by its senior management and the approximately one hundred employees who work for it full-time. The company also hopes to convert 100% of its crops to organic production within the next five years. For more information about VÔG and Les Serres Lefort, go to www.culturevog.com.
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Geneviève Grégoire
Metro Inc.
514 643-1000, ext. 2055
genevieve.gregoire@metro.ca
André Michaud
Commercialization, Marketing, Public Relations
Agri-food sector
Les Serres Lefort
514 268-6285
agro@andremichaud.ca