1888A legend is bornOne bright day in 1888, Elphire Gauthier and Louis Wilbrod Brissette of Saint-Eustache proudly announce the birth of their son, Jean-Louis Brissette. Little does the young couple know that their newborn would not only one day revolutionize the business community in the Laurentians, but that he would offer a prosperous future for three generations of the Brissette family. Profile of prolific manA tireless worker, Jean-Louis Brissette was a man who loved to face all types of challenges. He was a road builder, a farmer, a pioneer – a man often described as stubborn and proud, but blessed with a heart of gold. Brissette was gifted with a legendary sense of vision, characterized by his generosity and determination in bringing all projects to life – often several at a time. He was considered to be one of the most dynamic men of his time. |
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1901Embracing a new homeAt the age of 13, Jean-Louis Brissette and his family move to the town of Sainte-Agathe, where the priests of Sacré-Coeur are building a new college. While still attending school, the young boy sets up shop inside the hangar located directly behind his family’s house, where he tests out his first batch of home-brewed beverages. 1911The birth of J.L. Brissette, the companyAt 22, Jean-Louis Brissette launches his own home-made soft drink company. He names it J.L. Brissette. The young man moves his humble operations from the family dwelling to his first factory, located at 10 Principale Street in Sainte-Agathes-des-Monts. It’s all funds and gains...J.L. Brissette was created with an initial funding of $129, of which $128 was used to purchase a supply of bottles, flavouring and equipment. The remaining $1 went towards the purchase of 20 pounds of sugar.
1916Teaming up with a U.S. giantIn 1916, American soft drink giant Coca-Cola selects J.L. Brissette to be the exclusive bottler and distributer of its products in the Laurentian region. J.L. Brissette continues to produce its own brand of home-made drinks, but its new affiliation with Coca-Cola introduces the small company as the leading distributor for Coca-Cola in Quebec. This also allows J.L. Brissette to have total access to a precious product that is being rationed across Canada, but not in the U.S., during war-time: sugar. Pop quizDid you know that Coca-Cola was invented by an Atlanta pharmacist who thought he had just created a cough syrup? The popular drink contains sugar, water, syrup and its famous concentrate whose recipe is only known by Coca-Cola. 1921Making the big moveJ.L. Brissette moves its operations to 14 Sainte-Antoine Street, which paves 1927More business is brewingTalks with the Molson family, which owns several breweries in Sainte-Agathe, 1929Heading northJ.L. Brissette’s business operations continue to grow, this time in the upper Laurentians, with new connections in L’Annonciation and Mont-Laurier. 1936Celebrating 25 years of excellenceJ.L. Brissette celebrates 25 years of success, by expanding its business operations and distributing its 11 home-made flavours, and adding Laurentienne javel water to its portfolio of popular brand names. Adding this latest product to its profit-making ranks was considered an ingenious marketing move, considering J.L. Brissette was already using Laurentienne javel water to clean its inventory of bottles. |
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Going with the flowIt’s the mid-1930s, and because a company like J.L. Brissette uses enormous quantities of water, for the production of its products and the cleaning of its bottles, the town announces the installation of devices to monitor the company’s water consumption. Realising that he will now face additional, exorbitant water costs, Jean-Louis Brissette decides to dig a gigantic well on his factory’s property, where he discovers an abundant water supply that he is able to use for a few years. Unfortunately, he must eventually decide to shut the well down and returns to using the municipal aqueduct when his production demands soar. |
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