Délices Érable & Cie

13041253_1804945773061479_7291437547346142344_o — Photo Credit: Agnieszka Stalkoper

BY SEBASTIEN ROBILLARD
TWITTER: @Seb_Blog
EMAIL: FASHIONBPM@GMAIL.COM

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to the reopening of the bistro-boutique. Located on St-Paul in Old Montreal the boutique previously known as Delices de l’Erables went through a redesign not only for the bistro-boutique but also for their logo, website, packaging and also a new name Delices Erable & Cie.

Most of the time if you’re a Montrealer you will not stop in those boutiques that offer maple products as they’re mostly seen as tourist trap. In this case this bistro-boutique is totally different, not only do they offer ready to eat maple products but they also offer honey products and a variety of brownies, cookies and coffees. They also have a gelato bar that has the particularity of been sweeten with maple syrup or pure honey to replace the sugar. I tried the Maple Delight and it was very good, the maple chunk cookies are also a must try. Where the boutique differs from what you normally see is the other products that they offer. You can buy different products all based on maple and honey to develop your own recipes in the kitchen using our local products. If you have a lack of imagination they also have recipe cards and an information kiosk that can give you some ideas.

I personally left with some maple pearls that can be great to garnish canapés, decorate ice cream or cake. Some maple butter to spread on toast is also good, I put it in my oatmeal to give it a sweet taste. If you enjoy the cookies there’s also a pre-packed jar that contain most of the ingredients you’ll need to make your own. If you like baked Brie they also offer a pre-mix to garnish it that I can’t wait to try.

“To celebrate our 90th anniversary, we wanted to write a new page in our history,” explains Martin Plante, Citadelle’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve come a long way and today we want to tie Délices Érable & Cie’s image to the brand’s true nature, which is decidedly contemporary, rich and vibrant. That’s why we wanted to create a unique experience for our visitors and allow them to discover our entire maple, honey and cranberry product offering.”

The new name, Délices Érable & Cie, is designed to be more current, while keeping the term “délices” as a nod to the original brand that has been in existence for 17 years. Maple, the organization’s flagship product, still takes pride of place, most notably through the new brand’s name and the use of the Canadian emblem. The new name now encompasses the full assortment of maple, honey and cranberry products offered as well as the overall in-store experience.

A gourmet experience in an urban terroir atmosphere

Special attention was paid to the boutique-bistro concept to create a premiere gourmet destination with an urban terroir atmosphere.

As soon as they set foot in the boutique, visitors are enveloped by a bright and sleek space. The boutique experience encourages local customers and tourists to browse and discover all of the coop’s pure products. Different spaces are dedicated to specific themes so that visitors can easily find brunch basics, more sophisticated cocktail and entertaining options, everyday cooking essentials, and, of course, sweet indulgences for foodies.

Visitors can continue on to the bistro, designed to tempt one’s taste buds. On the menu, they will find hot and cold drinks, including specialties, and scrumptious snacks like maple chip cookies, cakes, brownies, chocolates and candies. Lastly, visitors can choose from a delicious selection of gelato and sorbet flavours, sweetened exclusively with pure maple syrup or honey. But the heart of the experience lies in the product tastings, with a tasting counter in each boutique. These stations, hosted by Délices Érable & Cie experts, let visitors sample every product available in stores and learn about the variety of ways to cook with them.

“It’s with a lot of pleasure that we present our new branding, says Mr. Michel Labbé, chairman of the Citadelle’s board. Our 2,000 passionate producers are very proud of what we have accomplished in 90 years, and look towards the future with confidence and excitement”

If you want to try some of their products you can visit several stores :

Montreal

84, Saint-Paul street East

Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1G6

514 765-3456

Old Quebec

1044, St-Jean street

Quebec, Quebec G1R 1R6

418 692-3245

Montreal Trudeau Airport

975, boulevard Romeo-Vachon North

Dorval, Quebec H4Y 1H1