The blue gold of Minganie

Wild or cultivated, they are simply delicious. Alone or in pies, jams or sauces, dipped in chocolate or soaked in alcohol, blueberries—those little antioxidant powerhouses—are increasingly finding their way into our daily diets.

These indigenous North American berries that seem to love acidic, marshy and sandy soil have found fertile ground in Quebec’s boreal regions, where their cultivation has become an increasingly thriving business. The Minganie area, among others, is showing itself to be particularly well suited to this kind of activity. Indeed, in 2006 a 1,000-hectare blueberry farm was put into operation in Longue‑Pointe‑de‑Mingan.

A new vocation for the Côte-Nord region

This initiative is the brainchild of Bleuets du 50^e parallèle, a Côte-Nord family businesses headed up by Omer Rail, a local entrepreneur well known for his fertile imagination and unwavering determination. After nearly 15 years at the helm of Poséidon, a seafood processing company, this Minganie resident with deep roots in the region decided to put his business experience and entrepreneurial talents to the service of his community, which already views him as a real source of inspiration.

Canada Economic Development helped fund the emergence of this new Minganie enterprise which is blazing the trail for the blueberry industry in the Côte-Nord region. This Bleuets du 50^e parallèle initiative will yield benefits for the region as a whole, with the majority of the production being done in and around Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan and the sorting, cleaning and freezing of the fruit in Port-Cartier.

Given the profitability of Bleuets du 50^e parallèle, secondary and tertiary processing of these berries may be just around the corner. The project, which will help further the diversification of the Côte-Nord economy, promises to create numerous jobs in the region. In fact, it is expected that by 2013, the company will be in full-blown production and providing some 76 seasonal jobs.

In Minganie, where land and sea meet, these health-packed blue delights are on the verge of becoming one of the Gulf of St. Lawrence’s summertime attractions. Who would have believed it?