Three major winners at the Alizés
Evening
MONTREAL, May 16, 2024
/CNW/ - As part of the Alizés Evening, presented by FCC, Group
Export Agri-Food announced today, May 15,
2024, the three grand prize winners of the Alizés Awards.
Anne-Marie Withenshaw hosted the
event on the sidelines of the Salon international de l'alimentation
(SIAL), a trade show attended by the world's agri-food
industry.
"The three winning companies this year stood out in agri-food
exports. They carefully analyzed the market to implement strong
international marketing strategies, enabling them to achieve
sustainable success. We truly believe that these three Canadian
companies are showcasing Quebec's
expertise around the world," said Martin
Lavoie, CEO of Group Export Agri-food.
The three winning companies gave speeches in front of over 300
participants, including nearly a hundred international buyers
looking for new products to introduce to their food stores.
SME Fonds de solidarité FTQ Category
Specializing in the creation of nutritious and healthy
breakfasts, Evive transforms fruits, vegetables, and superfoods
into frozen smoothie cubes. Evive has successfully built its brand
in the United States, working on a
digital strategy with local influencers and creating a new
community in the country via their social networks. To keep up with
growing demand, Evive's plant has moved to St-Hubert, in the Montérégie region.
Large Company FCC Category
Located on the island of Montreal, this company specializes in the
production of frozen pizzas and stands out for its dual management
approach. Indeed, Rustica Foods offers co-manufacturing for major
multinational agri-food brands in addition to marketing its own
national brand, Rustica. The company has a very strong
collaborative strategy with its partners, enabling it to meet its
organizational sales objectives.
Innovative Export Strategy Inno-centre
Category
The jury was impressed by the impact of Gen V's rebranding,
formerly known as Laitues Mirabel. The new name, designed for both
Quebec and non-French-speaking
markets, reflects a youthful and dynamic image. It allows the
company to enhance its export strategy by enabling it to stand out
on the shelves. Increased capacity through the acquisition of new
greenhouses has also allowed the company to continue growing its
international sales.
"This year, these three companies truly stood out in the Alizés
Awards competition. They all have at least two things in common.
Firstly, it was their acquisition of new markets in recent years
that impressed the jury. What's more, they have demonstrated a real
spirit of innovation in attracting new consumers," announced the
President of the Alizés Awards jury, Louis
Turcotte, FCC's National Vice President, Corporate Finance
and Major Accounts.
The jury consisted of six leading agri-food industry
specialists: Louis Turcotte,
National Vice President, Corporate Finance and Major Accounts at
FCC, Benoit Tétrault, Director, Private Equity and Impact
Investments, Agri-Food and Health, at Fonds de solidarité FTQ,
Éric Waterman, Vice President, Agri-Food, at Inno-centre,
Karen Trujillo, Commercial
Account Manager, Quebec Region, EDC, Pascale Daigneault, Senior Industry
Development Officer (Quebec and
Nunavut), Market and Industry
Services Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and
Martin Lemire,
Vice-President, Edikom.
The Group Export Agri-Food would like to thank its partners of
the Alizés Evening: Farm Credit Canada (FCC), the ministère de
l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec
(MAPAQ), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Inno-centre,
Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Export Development Canada (EDC), Agro
Québec, L'actualité ALIMENTAIRE and SIAL Canada.
The next event organized by the Group Export Agri-Food will
be the Summit on Agri-food Export on June
18, 2024.
About Group Export Agri-Food
The Group Export Agri-Food is the largest association of
agri-food exporters in Canada.
Created in 1990, the association has, over the years, developed
several services and initiated hundreds of activities to facilitate
access to markets outside Quebec
and abroad for Quebec agri-food
exporters. Group Export is also behind the Alizés Awards and the
Alizés Evening, held in conjunction with SIAL Canada, of which the
organization is a shareholder. As a privileged link between
exporters and markets, and an essential link between the public
sector and industry, the Association works daily to increase the
presence of Québec products around the world.
SOURCE Groupe Export agroalimentaire Québec Canada