A successful Québec family in the business of fries

Since starting our company blog, we’ve shared the stories and products of several of our valued customers and partnerships. To our surprise, many of them share similar beginnings to that of my family at Hector Larivée. Saint-Arneault, a Québec company founded in 1973 by Michel St-Arneault, is another of those stories. From a small “casse-croute” in Pointe-St-Charles to what is now one of the five manufacturers of french fries in North America, Saint-Arneault offers a variety of fresh and frozen fries to restaurants and retail chains throughout Canada, the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean.

In 1973, Michel St-Arneault’s father bought him a hot dog and fry stand in Pointe-St-Charles across the street from Norton Electric, which brought a lot of business in the form of hungry workers on their lunch break. However, when Norton Electric closed three months later, business slowed down. To make extra money, Michel would peel potatoes at night to sell to restaurants in the area and soon after, he bought a small building in Verdun to start his business. “Hector Larivée was actually my dad’s first ever customer on the 4th of October 1973. I know this because my dad was out doing his first delivery while my mom was giving birth to me!”, states Michel’s son Rémy St-Arneault, who has been working for his father at the company since 1992 when he was 19. It is the sense of trust that comes from working with Hector and their ability to represent us as an extension of our own team that is one of the many reasons they remain one of our preferred partners to this day, adds the company’s general manager.

After moving to a bigger facility in St-Hubert in the early 80’s, Saint-Arneault began a phase of innovation, acquiring the rights to market a new production process in the hopes of expanding their business. From this came Qualifresh in 1987, fresh fries that are pre-cooked in oil at 300 degrees for four minutes, which would save restaurants time during their preparation by eliminating the need for blanching. Additionally, Qualifresh fries can be kept in the fridge for 30-32 days, without added preservatives, compared to the normal shelf life of fresh fries. Saint-Arneault was now capable of expanding their territory farther than they had been able to previously. Innovation and expansion by increasing productivity, developing new products, and continually seeking out new processes and markets have help secure Saint-Arneault as the thriving Québec family business they are today.

Saint-Arneault offers around 300 different products between Qualifresh and their frozen fries, including kosher and super kosher skews. And, although their company continues to grow, Rémy St-Arneault still promises their clients the same accessibility and proximity they have upheld from the beginning: “We’re able to do more for our clients than some of the bigger companies in the industry. You can still call us and talk to a St-Arneault,” he proudly affirms.

Our clients can order Saint-Arneault Qualifresh and frozen fries while others can taste them at Cage aux Sports, Bâton Rouge, or from Costco to name a few.