Our mission

It’s his love for the forest and his knowledge in herbalism that drove Jérémie Postel to create the Produits Jérémie Postel. Through its products, he shares the wonder of flavors provided by the wild nature. Nonetheless, the company carries a wider mission: to raise Canadian’s awareness to the importance of the forests, to their nourishing capacity and patrimonial value, and, most importantly, to the issues regarding their protection.

Too often, people forget that the forests are like a complete pantry, and that they host an exceptional flora and fauna that are essential to our survival. To bond a hearty connection with [the forests] helps us to realize their value and to encourage us to protect them. His job is a dream that allows him to realize himself and to contribute to this environment that he truly deeply loves. To discover all the flavors that offers nature through our products is one more step toward its protection and the creation of a patrimony.

The germ of an idea

From the forest to the local shelves

It all started in Listo, in the Pyrenees (France). A shepherdess friend of Jérémie gives him a taste of an ancestral recipe, passed down among local generations: young spruce growth macerated with sugar all summer under the sun, quite simply. Immediately, he adopted it in his diet. Later on, in 2011, when he arrived in Quebec, he chose to consume only natural sugars from the region, such as honey or maple syrup. He then turned the recipe into a honey-based maceration and continues to produce it at home. He shared his spruce honey with his friends and relatives who quickly promoted it around them without suspecting all the fuss it would generate. After testing the maceration with different conifers, it turned out to be the balsam fir that gave the best results. Some time later, Jérémie adapts his production to the growing demand to finally develop a product that will be sold in many local shops and grocery stores. Until now, he is the largest producer of fir macerated honey in Quebec. His fir honey is as good to relieve coughs as it is to enjoy in a gourmet dish or as a treat. Its flavors reveal a direct link with the forest. It’s sweet and powerful at the same time. Encouraged by the success of his product, Jérémie Postel collaboratively developed other products such as fir kombucha, which allows him to reuse the sprouts previously macerated. He continued to create products with a rustic shrub that he loves for its qualities: the common elderberry. He used its flowers to concoct a delicious drink, always resulting from ancestral skills. He particularly liked the elderberry shrub for its accessibility and for its refreshing and floral taste, but also because it's possible to create products from it throughout its entire life cycles.

By Jérémie Postel

My profound encounter and communion with the trees 

““ I was born in Falaise, in the department of Calvados, in France. I grew up surrounded by nature and I had the privilege to be initiated at a young age to the great outdoor. I also traveled to summer camps and I spent many happy hours at my grandmother’s, in the small village of Pierrefitte-en-Cinglais, in the center of the Suisse Normande. I was destined to become a baker, but a medical diagnosis had me change my plan. It’s after that, while I was in a vacation camp in the Alps and that a park ranger shared with me his knowledge about the forest, that a passion arose. I was driven to study forestry and to earn my life out of it. To be in charge of a forest and to know all about its secrets was like a dream to me. I attended many work training, among which two were particularly important for me as they made me change the way I would interact with Nature and the community. There, I developed my connection with trees by patient observation of what they are. I listened to the knowledge that were transmitted to me. I tasted and felt the power of the forest. My perception of the forest was changing, it was no longer a place of production, but a living ecosystem, rich and nourishing. 

In 2004, I continued my studies in environmental management and protection. I became an environmental educator and moved to Périgueux, in Dordogne, where I spent my twenties, wonderful years. I expanded my botanical knowledge, let myself be filled with traditional oral wisdom and be immersed in Heritage. I was lucky to work and to travel across France in renowned centers that colored me with their experience. At that time, I also worked as a guide for itinerant trips in the mountains, in the Ossau Valley, in the Aspe Valley, or in the Val d'Azun. I discovered the life of shepherds in mountain pastures, witnessing the extremes of the mountain, from its anger to its deep calm. I became friends with a shepherdess and mountain guide, Muriel. She is at the origin of my fir honey as she introduced me to her preparation of spruce slowly macerated in sugar during the summer.

Then, in 2007, an important event led me to follow a new path and to meet other challenges. I took a trip to Quebec, more specifically, to Saint-André in Lac-Saint-Jean, to train in landscape interpretation. My journey there ended with friends who have a more secluded way of life. They taught me to survive in extreme conditions and to take a new look at my surroundings. I then returned to France and settled in Millevaches, in Creuse. I set up a climbing club in Bourganeuf and gave climbing lessons while being a supervisor in a building trades school, which left me a lot of time to continue to deepen my relationship with Nature, to spend hours staying still just to observe it.

“On November 26, 2011, I landed in Montréal. I had difficulties to get my diplomas recognized, which forced me to work in related fields. After living in Montréal for a short while, I targeted the town of Sutton, in the Eastern Townships, to work in an outdoor cooperative. That was the beginning of a love story with the mountain of Sutton. "

In summer 2010, I left Strasbourg and cycled to Chamonix where I joined two friends to tour the Mont Blanc. This little warm-up allowed me to follow up with a university program as an outdoor guide and I had a crazy year climbing, kayaking, running, orienteering running, mountain biking and canyoning. I supervised groups during all these activities and organized itinerant trips. For my final paper, I participated in the creation of a nature sports resort in Tulle with my great friend Sylvain. It's at that period that I met Mylène, a Quebecer, with whom I founded our family.

On November 26, 2011, I landed in Montréal. I had difficulties to get my diplomas recognized, which forced me to work in related fields. After living in Montréal for a short while, I targeted the town of Sutton, in the Eastern Townships, to work in an outdoor cooperative. That was the beginning of a love story with the mountain of Sutton. During summer time, I worked as an environmental educator and a guide for "tree tops adventures", and during winter, I was tracing the cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. Those occupations allowed me to integrate the beautiful community of Sutton. It's also at this period that I started to produce my first jars of fir honey. Some time later, the cooperative stopped its activities and that's when I found myself working to the Parc d'environnement naturel de Sutton (PENS) as a planner. There, I deepened my knowledge of the mountain, of the team spirit and of the Quebec climate!

When, in 2014, our first child arrived in our lives, I took on a new job as an "arborist climber", where both my knowledge of forestry and that of climbing were of good use. There, I developed several management skills; I had to wear many hats. Similarly, I took care of the growth of my fir honey production which was becoming a flourishing business.

In 2018, I took the leap and devote myself entirely to my business, supported by a friend, Myriam Marleau, who helped me in this transition. We found a way to add value to the honey macerated fir sprouts by making balsam fir kombucha. It became the solution for me to continue my activities in a sustainable way. The balsam fir kombucha, launched during the 2018 Christmas market, was an instant success. The support of the CLD de Brome-Missisquoi was another essential ingredient that permitted me to launch my business.

Here I am after all these years of experiences and learning to run a responsible business which value my passion and love for the forest. ‘‘