With the planned increase in the price of milk from 1er February, it’s not just poutine that will cost more. The cost of cheeses sold to consumers will increase and the supply in stores could also be less.
Posted at 9:00 a.m.
The price of milk at the farm will increase by 8.4% from 1er February. This recommendation, made by the Canadian Dairy Commission (CCL) last fall, notably obliges the Boivin cheese factory, located in La Baie, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, to increase the cost of its cheese by approximately 1, $50 per kilo. Its “couic couic” in grains is sold in many supermarkets throughout Quebec.
Other companies contacted by The Press, such as the Victoria cheese factory, which also specializes in cheddar curds, and the Médard cheese factory, have also confirmed that they will proceed with price increases. “We will have an increase of 5% to 10%. We have no choice,” says Normand Côté, co-owner of the Médard cheese dairy and president of the Association des fromagers artisans du Québec, in a resigned tone.
Asked about this at the end of last year, Marie-Eve Robert, vice-president of marketing at Groupe Bel Canada, known for its famous Laughing Cow and its Mini Babybel, also suggested that consumers should pay more expensive multinational products.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Marie-Eve Robert, Marketing Vice-President of the Bel Canada Group
Everyone should expect it. But of course we try to work hard to keep the product accessible.
Marie-Eve Robert, Marketing Vice-President of the Bel Canada Group
“It’s not just the cost of milk that’s going up,” recalls the general manager of the Boivin cheese factory, Luc Boivin. There are the distribution and transport costs, the shortage of labor which has forced us to adjust wages, packaging. »
He indicates that during the year 2021, his company faced three increases in the price of cardboard. This has increased by 40%. The cost of the glass jars in which he sells his P’tit crémeux, a melted cheese, has doubled.
The CDC’s recommendation will also be felt in the restaurant. Poutine lovers will see a difference on their bill, confirms Marc-André Gosselin, general manager of the Victoria cheese factory, which operates 18 restaurants located in several regions of Quebec.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Marc-André Gosselin, general manager of the Victoria cheese factory
“We have to push increases to people who really don’t deserve them,” adds Luc Boivin, referring to restaurateurs. The Boivin cheese factory also owns the famous Lemaire cheese factory, located near Drummondville, along Highway 20. The place is one of the popular destinations for poutine lovers.
Empty shelves?
As a result, in-store supply may decrease. “Could we have empty shelves of certain dairy products because the manufacturer has decided to stop delivering in February? asks Luc Boivin. Before, I would never have said that. This year, I would say it’s likely. We are there, if we do not cover our costs, we are dead. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Luc Boivin, general manager of the Boivin cheese factory
There are products that may disappear. We temporarily stopped the barbecue cheese curds. It took extra manpower. It took us washing crews.
Luc Boivin, general manager of the Boivin cheese factory
“We deliver cheese every day. But we are not looking for new contracts, we tell our customers not to push sales, not to promote. »
At the Quebec Dairy Industrial Council, the president and CEO, Charles Langlois, also suggests that producers could decide to turn their backs on certain retailers if they are reluctant to accept these increases.
Result: the offer would not be the same everywhere. “Maybe they’ll say, ‘You don’t want to buy my product at this price, well, I won’t sell it to you, that’s all.’ These are possibilities that are in the air, that we hear. Several companies are talking about this possibility,” says Mr. Langlois.