Since their foundation in 1970, Les Serres Laliberté have experienced impressive expansion. Sylvie Laliberté, co-owner, talks about the evolution of her company and the importance of networking.

In Bellechasse, everyone knows Les Serres Laliberté. Active for over 40 years, the family business now produces a wide variety of annuals, perennials, and shrubs, which it sells at its popular garden center in Sainte-Claire. Its loyal team of about twenty people is proud to serve long-standing customers.

 “It all started with a small greenhouse of 6 feet by 8 feet… My grandmother had bought seeds, and my father didn’t want anything to do with having seedlings in the house!”

 Sylvie Laliberté, co-owner

She also notes that, long before the creation of the garden center, the sales technique employed was completely different. “In the era of Avon saleswomen, she sold her products door to door!” Sylvie now works alongside her partner, Denis Fecteau, who took over the reins of Les Serres Laliberté in 1985.

“After his studies in forestry, Denis realized that he was also very interested in horticulture. It’s a bit like urban forestry, right?” jokes the accounting specialist. “He decided to buy my parents’ company and then I joined him a little later. And soon, it will be our turn to finalize the transfer to our son Steeve.”

To say that the Laliberté-Fecteaus grew up with horticulture is an understatement. Around the age of 16, Sylvie and Denis’s children – Steeve, Sabrina, and Kathleen – began learning the ins and outs of the business. Trained at the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire de Saint-Hyacinthe, their eldest son is now co-owner and in charge of the company’s landscaping aspect. Sabrina supervises the maintenance services, while the youngest, Kathleen, has recently started part-time at the garden center.

A Network of Affinities

Following the suggestion of friendly companies active in the sector, Les Serres Laliberté decided to join Groupex in 2001:

Sylvie refers to the collaboration with companies like Ferme horticole Lajoie or the Lessard family of Mégantic (Lessard Garden Center and Paysages François Lessard).

Since their membership, Les Serres Laliberté have grown impressively, with the gradual addition of new services (landscaping, maintenance, and snow removal) and several expansion phases. Initially focused on annuals and vegetable plants, production has gradually diversified to include a wide variety of plants and perennials, in addition to selling associated products.

According to Sylvie, it’s now the garden center that brings in the most for the family business, accounting for 50% of sales, followed by landscaping (25%) and maintenance (25%). “Now, all our production is sold here, to individuals, but also to a few municipalities for which we prepare planters,” she adds.