Start of the 2023 summer season
MONTREAL, May 17, 2023. We are pleased to announce the start of the 2023 summer season for L'Aube Food Hub, four farms in the West Island of Montreal working together to supply institutions and community organizations with local food. The organization, which took off in 2022, is also very proud to present its new branding.
"The food hub is a win-win partnership for our producers and our buyers. The NPO offers producers a turnkey marketing service and, to community institutions and organizations, easy access to a wide variety of local, organic fruits and vegetables in larger volumes." according to Louis Lafortune, director of the L’Aube Food Hub.
The food hub emerged from the work of several West Island farms engaged in a co-creative process, led by Collectif Récolte, as part of Montréal in Common. After piloting shared service projects for two years, the farms consolidated their activities and structured themselves as a non-profit organization (NPO) in April 2022. With the desire to capitalize on this momentum, the organization adopted new branding for the 2023 summer season.
Louis explains his team’s choice : “ L’aube means ‘dawn’ in French. It is the light and freshness of the morning. It is also, most often, the time when producers wake up to harvest, prepare and distribute the fruits of their labour. For our organization, it’s the promise of a new day and a contribution to a better world where healthy and local food is possible in all social spheres. "
According to Marie-Andrée Mauger, in charge of ecological transition and environment at the executive committee of the City of Montreal:
"Montreal is among the most avant-garde cities in urban agriculture and is a leader internationally. It is a great source of pride! Initiatives such as the food hub L' Aube Food Hub make our metropolis more resilient and promote food security for everyone. For our administration, urban agriculture is one of the preferred avenues to achieve these goals, particularly through projects that encourage innovative ideas from the population, organizations, and businesses to strengthen the potential of our Montreal food system."
OUR IMPACT IN 2022
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US
“We feel like we are making a difference, doing something really more positive for children and families. The children appreciate it, you can see it in their eyes and the plates that come back empty.“
- Lucie Valcourt, Assistant Director, CPE for Bombardier Aerospace employees - Vol-au-vent installation
"With 7,000 meals a day, it's almost impossible for a small farm to produce what we need. With the food hub, we will look for a greater variety of fruits and vegetables."
- Annie Lavoie, Food Service Manager, CHUM
“The fruits and vegetables have a phenomenal shelf life compared to what we find with other distributors due to the fact that they are picked right before being sent to us.“
- Geneviève Dulude, Head of Department, Food and Clinical Nutrition Activities, Montreal Heart Institute
The L’Aube Food Hub project is piloted by the Local and Integrated Food System in Montreal (SALIM) of Collectif Récolte as part of Montreal in common. The L’Aube Food Hub is made possible thanks to the financial contributions of the City of Montreal, the Smart Cities Challenge and the Government of Canada.
Partners
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SOURCE : L’aube, pôle nourricier
FOR MORE INFORMATION :
Gabriella Fanous
Head of strategic partnerships for the food hub, Collectif Récolte
gabriella@recolte.ca ︱514-712-3720