The Gadoury brothers of Vallée Verte take on sustainable dairy.

It’s no secret that sustainable dairy production is a highly debated topic. But like any issue, it’s not black and white. What we can do is partner with people who are doing everything they can to farm as responsibly as possible - putting the well-being of their animals first. And that’s where our partners come in, notably the two brothers behind Ferme Vallée Verte 1912 who create dairy that meets our gold standard (aka the most sustainable, local way they can).

Caroline, our creative mastermind, knew about Vallée Verte’s Gaboury brothers before their products ever hit the Marketplace. With her grandparents living close by, her family used to go to the store to stock up on hand-crafted cheeses, artisanal yogurts and old-fashioned milk - you know, the kind with the thick layer of cream on top. She and our team recently took a trip to Saint-Jean-de-Matha to check in with the Gadoury family and their friendly herd and hear first-hand about their responsible practices.

It all began in 1912 when Charles Gadoury bought a piece of land in Saint-Jean-de-Matha and opened a small subsistence farm, where he bred cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs. Three Gadoury generations later, 18-year-old David and his father Richard joined forces, and decided to expand the farm for dairy practices. As a kid, David was fascinated by his family's farm and felt a deep connection to the animals. He would milk them twice a day and even name them along the way. After all, who wouldn’t want a cow called Bernadette?

After a brief stint in conventional agriculture (trying to catch up to the industry), the father-son duo returned to their good old-fashioned farming practices. Noticing the negative effects of hormones, antibiotics and synthetic pesticides on their herd (and domino effect linked to their use), with their animals developing cancers, diseases and even drug resistance, they gradually abandoned them and eliminated them completely from their farm.

It wasn’t until Samuel (David’s ambitious brother) joined the farm that they started taking dairy processing more seriously. After years of training, they finally obtained the necessary permits to build a fromagerie onsite, only a few steps from the stable, naming it Ferme Vallée Verte 1912 in honour of their ancestors. With his background in computer programming, Samuel decided to bring automation to the farm and added two milking robots, allowing the cows to milk only when they’re ready. Not only did it improve efficiency, but it also offered better working conditions for their team and improved the comfort and well-being of their herd.

Fed with a mixture of dry hay and alfalfa grown onsite without synthetic pesticides, the 150 or so animals are free to roam the barn, where they can bask on sandy beaches in the sun that pours in from the large windows and scratch their backs on rotating brushes. (Oh, to be a cow!)

With the help of their small team, the Gadourys make their products from non-homogenized whole milk pasteurized at low temperatures, which preserves the enzymes and bacteria naturally present in the milk. Spotlighting local ingredients, they partner with neighbouring producers to source raspberries and haskaps from nearby farms, wild blueberries from Lac-Saint-Jean, beer from a local microbrewery (brewed especially for their cheese), and even maple sugar from the family sugar bush, located just behind the farm.

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