From Our Family to Your Table

Ovila Lalonde leaves his hometown of Papineauville, Québec and opens a bakery, Boulangerie Lalonde, on Water Street in Plantagenet.

Fernand Lalonde takes over his father’s bakery.

Fire destroys the bakery, but Fernand rebuilds, and the business continues. In the best years, up to 5,000 loaves a week are baked at Boulangerie Lalonde.

Small town bakeries can now hardly compete with the new large grocery stores and their many products. Laurenza now runs the bakery and converts it to a baked beans business. The name changes to Fèves au lard Lalonde. The large wood-burning oven can cook up to 92 big cauldrons in one batch!

Jean-Pierre, Laurenza and Ovila Lalonde’s son takes over the family business.

Paulin and Marielle Lapensée start a new bean business: La Binerie à Paulin. Paulin worked for Laurenza Lalonde for many years, where he gained experience. He has precise plans for a new oven and kitchen. The two-level oven measures 15 feet wide by 14 feet deep and can take up to 200 cauldrons. In their first year of operation, the Lapensées cook 25 tons of beans.

With two businesses that produce hundreds of tons of baked beans, Plantagenet is now known as the Bean Capital! The Lalondes and the Lapensées both have their secret recipe and customers flock to Plantagenet to buy the famous beans. Both businesses serve bean suppers to many organizations and sell their products in grocery stores.

In 1990, Dominique Auger becomes partner in Fèves aux lard Lalonde, where he has been working since he was 15 years old. In 1990, Alain Lapensée takes over the family business. In 1991, Jean-Pierre Lalonde and his brother Bernard open La Cuisine Jean-Bernard, a catering service.

Alain Lapensée, Jean-Pierre Lalonde and Dominique Auger merge the three businesses and create La Binerie Plantagenet. Christian decides to pursue other project and sells his shares to Alain.

The 3 partners decide to bring all of the operation under the same roof and expand the building at 650 Water Street in Plantagenet where La Binerie à Paulin was formerly located. The new 6,500 square foot building will allow the company to grow.

After many successful years in business, Jean-Pierre Lalonde sells his shares to his partners Alain Lapensée and Dominique Auger and retires.

Alain Lapensée decides to create a Festival de la Bine with the vision of bringing together thirty different organizations and chefs from the region with different baked beans recipes.

A third generation of Lapensées officially joined the ranks at La Binerie Plantagenet, a family-run business operating for more than 40 years. Chloé, daughter of co-owner Alain Lapensée, along with her aunt Chantal and uncle Luc recently became partners.

La Binerie changes its look with a new logo, a new website, and the creation of an online store. Customers can now buy La Binerie products as well as other local products on the website and receive their order directly at home.

La Binerie expand its store again due to the number of visitors that are interested to learn more about La Binerie’s history and buy their products.