Montreal, April 17, 2014 - Following the great success of the VÔG greenhouse sweet peppers, Metro is pleased to welcome VÔG BIO brand Japanese turnips, cucumbers and red peppers to its stores. Grown by Les Serres Lefort in Sainte-Clotilde-de-Châteauguay, these new certified organic products carry Aliments du Québec BIO (ORGANIC) and Québec Vrai certifications.
Mild, slightly sweet and delicious even raw, the Japanese turnip does not need to be peeled before being eaten. You can just wash it, cut it into slices and then eat it whole, from the leaves right to the roots! The red peppers are mild, sweet and crunchy. As for the cucumber, it can lay claim to being the only organic and 100% Quebec cucumber offered on the market in all seasons.
« We’re proud of our ongoing cooperation with Les Serres Lefort, said Bernadette Hamel, Vice-President, National Procurement – Produce, for Metro. Consumers who want to buy local vegetables will now find three exceptional organic vegetables at Metro that are grown here, all year long. Thanks to innovation examples such as Les Serres Lefort, Metro can continue to broaden its Quebec product offerings. »
« We are delighted to work with Metro and we hope that consumers will enjoy these new products, commented Julie Lefort, Manager, organic sector development at Les Serres Lefort. Clearly, Quebecers see a real advantage in eating local, fresh and organic products like ours. »
This agreement is in keeping with the spirit of the Local Purchasing Policy announced by Metro in May of 2013, one of the three guiding principles of which is to make Metro the main ally of innovative suppliers. As a result, Metro confirms its interest in Quebec suppliers who want and who are able to continuously develop their products or their production and who represent growth potential with respect to distribution. Metro’s Local Purchasing Policy can be viewed on the Metro’s website. The 2013 Update on the progress of Metro’s corporate responsibility initiatives is also available. Click here to view 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, poste 2055
genevieve.gregoire@metro.ca
André Michaud
Commercialization, Marketing, Public Relations
Agri-food sector
Les Serres Lefort
514 268-6285
agro@andremichaud.ca