The company is called Duray and it could just as well be called Durer. Founded in 1939, it survived the erosion of the textile industry in Quebec and the woolen socks made there have been the best-selling in the country for decades. Many make copies of those famous gray stockings adorned with a red line, but nothing that does not have the meaning of those knitted in Princeville.
“We would have to relocate to achieve more growth, but we are not just a brand. Our DNA is to manufacture here.
Otherwise, we have no reason to exist, ”says Yan Raymond, who took over this third-generation family business with his brother Samuel.
Against all odds
They are among the last Mohicans. They resist opposing forces in the market. In their grandfather’s time, it was possible to buy wool locally; today it must be imported from New Zealand because it cannot be found here. Then, when Yan was at university, there were still textile factories in the area, in Victoriaville and Plessisville.
Only Duray remains in the Bois-Francs and a handful of manufacturers across Quebec. If textiles are gradually disappearing in Quebec, it is because it costs more to manufacture here than in Asia.
The Raymond’s would reduce their production costs and increase their profit margins if they carded, spun and knitted wool overseas. It would also be easier to find workers in Asia since for a long time now, there has been no school in Quebec to train people in textiles, except in design. But the entrepreneurial spirit of the Raymond brothers is attached to a village.
“We have the joy of doing it here, of creating something here. It’s a lot more satisfying than just selling a product. It has a much deeper meaning. Business sometimes seems detached from humans, but without being, ”Yan reflects, speaking slowly to choose the right words.
Serene in the face of challenges
He and his brother did not take over the business to strip Princeville from 75 jobs. In addition to their collections, they manufacture for other brands like Simons. Wages have had to be raised with the pandemic, and entrepreneurs must themselves absorb the costs of training a workforce that was already scarce before today’s dire shortage. It is demanding and one can wonder how long they will be able to withstand all these challenges?
“We do our best as long as we can make the business work,” says Yan Raymond.
It is linked to the thread of continuity, but does not make sustainability a concept to be attached to.
“In the time that is given to us, we do things as we want to do them,” he says calmly.
Work for Quebec
Make here. Have a positive impact in a local village. Design an authentically Quebec product.
This is the purpose, the true meaning of Duray wool socks. Much truer than the Blue Basket filled with made elsewhere, sold here. For some, the seal of Quebec is a marketing affair; for him and his brother, it is the meaning of entrepreneurship.
Duray
Founder: Gerard Raymond
Headquarters location: Princeville
Activity area : Manufacturer
Number of employees : 75
Foundation year: 1939
PROFILE OF YAN RAYMOND
- Job : Co-owner and president
- Age : 50 years
- Education: Business administration and philosophy