Société Coopérative Agricole de l’Isle-aux-Grues

Chaudière-Appalaches

Société Coopérative Agricole de l’Isle-aux-Grues

This cheese dairy began in 1976 when 14 producers from the island founded the Société Coopérative Agricole de l’Isle-aux-Grues in order to process their milk into cheese. The operation began in 1977 and took place only in the summer.

Ten years later, the cheesemakers convinced the town to plow the road leading to the plant in winter, enabling the dairy to operate 12 months out of the year as of 1987. Production quadrupled and the plant was expanded.

With the passing of the years, several farms have been sold, merged or simply abandoned for lack of succession. But in 2004, a young farming couple arrived on the island with their herd of 30 Brown Swiss cows. Since then the herd has been supplying the milk used to make Tomme de Grosse-Île.

Today, the cooperative has only two dairy farmers. The cheese dairy has been at the heart of the economic activity of Isle-aux-Grues, providing work for more than 15 people.

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