The vegetarian prepared meal company Commensal is closing its Boisbriand plant and outsourcing its production to an outside supplier in order, according to its management, to refocus its business priorities on product development rather than reinvesting in an outdated building.
“We would have to make a lot of investments to maintain our production and new product development capacity at the required levels. But it has become impossible to do in our very old industrial building”, indicates Nicolas Bergeron, Chief Operating Officer and co-shareholder of the Commensal Group, during an interview with The Press.
“In the meantime, we have found a supplier that is ‘top tier’ and already operating with the highest possible food standards. It is a very nice company based in Quebec that is well established in the production of prepared meals sold in stores. »
Mr. Bergeron refuses to identify this industrial supplier of Commensal, while this transfer of production means the dismissal of the twenty employees at its Boisbriand plant.
“A situation deemed regrettable, but inevitable,” reads a press release issued by the management of the Commensal company at midday on Wednesday.
This plant closure and the transfer of production to an external supplier are the result of a “decision that best aligns with our vision, our needs, our growth objectives and our mission to offer our customers products of irreproachable freshness and quality”.
Best-selling in Quebec
After this transfer of production, “in a few months we will be able to relaunch product development to add our current range of around forty foods and prepared meals”, maintains Nicolas Bergeron in conversation with The Press.
“Consumers are increasingly looking for quality vegetarian or vegan products. There is a lot of potential for innovation to add quality Commensal brand products in different prepared food categories,” according to Mr. Bergeron.
“The Commensal brand is the best-selling brand in stores in Quebec in the category of vegetarian prepared meals. Its market shares even reach 80% to 90% in certain specific categories, such as fresh and ready-to-eat soups,” he answers a question about the company’s commercial situation.
Founded more than twenty years ago, the Commensal Group first stood out in the catering market with its “cafeteria-buffet” type establishments specializing in vegetarian dishes prepared in its industrial kitchen in business. This was followed by the development and marketing of a line of Commensal brand prepared meals for sale in food stores.
But over the course of ownership changes since 2015, the Commensal restaurants have been closed as the company refocused its business priorities on its activities of production and marketing of prepared meals sold in food stores.