Madame Labriski crosses borders

I’m a born entrepreneur but I haven’t always known it. In fact, it’s something I only realized in the past few years, but now when I look back at my life, from my early childhood to today, I can see that I am well and truly a born entrepreneur.

I don’t come from an entrepreneurial family. I come from a family that went through a difficult divorce, with a mother who’s a teacher and a father a carpenter. I was born in Saint-Agapit in Lotbinière (a suburb of Quebec City) and I got my first job at the age of 11 delivering newspapers to pay for my figure skating lessons. And it was at that moment that I understood the true meaning of the expression “the early bird catches the worm.”

On 15 February, the magazine Madame Figaro (in France) published an article entitled “La purée de dattes, l’alternative saine et gourmande au sucre raffiné” (Date puree, a healthy and delicious alternative to refined sugar). The subject of the article: the first cookbook by Madame Labriski to be published in France by Hachette and, more importantly, the vision that drives me to help reduce our excessive consumption of refined sugar, without however having to give up the pleasures of eating. Our French neighbours hit the nail on the head in terms of what I’m trying to do: foster a new food awareness.

At Madame Labriski, I don’t invent recipes simply to invent recipes. I (yes, I say “I” because there’s no team doing it for me) come up with recipes that will make a difference in the food world, a difference in the health of everyone on the planet, and finally, a difference in the overall health of the planet.

I was (and still am) frustrated with the available food options. Where on earth are we going with all these pleasure foods that fill grocery store shelves? Have you ever read the list of ingredients? Most of the time, those so-called healthy cookies, muffins, bars, cakes, desserts and snacks are just awful. A big fiesta of sugar – and complicated ingredients you didn’t even know existed. Sometimes, they even proudly boast that they’re made with fruit or vegetables, but they’re still packed with refined sugar.

Refined sugar enhances flavour. It will make lemon taste more lemony and caramel extract more caramelly… and our body will crave more and more of it. Sugar is a fairly simple way to make sure our recipes taste good. It’s 2021, isn’t it about time we started to make things evolve in the food industry?

It’s the refined sugar, and its overconsumption, and the industrialization of products that always contain added refined sugar (because it’s inexpensive) that I’m at odds with. And we wonder why there are two billion people in the world who are overweight.

I’m not a trained nutritionist either. I’m a woman of passion, a good communicator, who decided to bring about change in the world of food by declaring war on refined sugar. I became an entrepreneur by listening to my impulses. In truth, I’ve come to realize that entrepreneurship chose me, not the other way around.

Today, I’m ready to do everything it takes to make a difference in the world of food. Madame Labriski Inc. has become a multiplatform agri-food business that strives to change or bring about a shift in the pleasure food options (cookies, bars, cakes, desserts and snacks) available in grocery stores, and through cookbooks and the digital world. I listen to my heart and forge ahead like a warrior. It’s a huge challenge, the possibilities are endless and there’s a long road ahead.

My chosen weapon: dates and date puree.

And do you know what? We’ll get there. When life provides me with a showcase like the article published in France, on the other side of the Atlantic no less, I tell myself that the entrepreneur in me has found her rightful place. No, I’m not an impostor, I’m Madame Labriski and I’m waging war on refined sugar.

More amazing adventures coming soon. Are you following me?

Mériane AKA Madame

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