Distillerie Cap-Chat has the wind in its sails

Entrepreneurs and businesspeople are often the driving force behind wonderful stories, the kind people want to tell and share. Although attention often falls on unhappy accounts of businesses going wrong, other people’s successes also deserve to be brought into the open and celebrated.

Carl Bourget and his family have just such a story. A long-time owner of a vineyard, cidery and distillery in the Pintendre sector of Lévis, in Chaudière-Appalaches, he wanted to expand but lacked space at his existing site. Today, after more than three years of effort and around $3 million in investment, Distillerie Cap-Chat holds a prominent place in Gaspésie.

A Venture That  Bears Fruit

After more than 25 years in business and solid results, Carl Bourget began looking for a new site across the greater Québec region and the South Shore. After several unsuccessful leads, a comment from his son redirected the search: why not move to a tourist destination? Because Carl had grown up on the Îles de la Madeleine and in Gaspé, attention naturally turned first to Gaspésie.

In spring 2021, Carl and his son Pierre-Étienne set out to explore. Their first stop was Cap-Chat in Haute-Gaspésie, where chance brought their search for the ideal site to an immediate end. A visit to the municipal office led them to a vast warehouse: a former shrimp-processing plant then used to store cars.

The moment they entered, they saw that it matched their vision perfectly: on Route 132, facing the sea, steps from a municipal rest area, in a centre of the wind-power industry and at the gateway to a large tourist region popular in every season. The final advantage, and no small one, was Cap-Chat’s groundwater. Fed by mountain springs in the nearby Chic-Chocs, it is of exceptional quality and almost inexhaustible, securing the distillery’s essential raw material.

Negotiations with the owner moved quickly. In May 2021, they took possession and began renovations and installation of the distilling equipment. At the same time, Carl Bourget completed the sale of his Lévis facilities so he could devote himself fully to the new venture. In another stroke of good fortune, while Carl and his son were measuring the building one day, the owner of the neighbouring house mentioned that he was interested in selling.

They did not ignore the opportunity. Soon afterwards, the Bourget family also owned the substantial, handsome residence beside the distillery. It was another eloquent example of good fortune attracting opportunity.

The Wind in Their Sails
After more than a year of renovations, installation, testing and planning, customers were able to buy Distillerie Cap-Chat products for the first time in December 2022. The distillery makes a diverse range of spirits and liqueurs from herbs and aromatic plants, many gathered in Gaspésie, including flowering dune pepper, wild rose, thuja and balsam fir.

Since then, the company has continued to grow and add products, all sold in 375 ml and 175 ml bottles. Carl Bourget calls this a savvy marketing choice because customers can buy two or three different products instead of one standard 750 ml or one-litre bottle. ‘The format also works well for gifts,’ he adds.

In December 2024, as Distillerie Cap-Chat celebrated its second anniversary, it offered 13 products, with a 14th product, a strawberry liqueur, due for the holiday season. The distillery was also awaiting a decision from the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) on distributing three products: Gin Pin Gris, Limoncello and Liqueur de framboise.

 

For the past year, Pierre-Étienne Bourget, vice-president of production, has produced educational videos in English and French for the company’s Facebook page, covering the distillery, its processes and other aspects of production and product development. He has also created on-site cocktail-making workshops with a mixology expert, a format expected to return.

Visitors can stop at Distillerie Cap-Chat for a tasting or an interpretive tour. A room is also available for groups and local events such as cocktail receptions, book launches and other activities.

The company employs seven people full-time, and production and sales continue year-round, seven days a week, on a varied schedule.

Distillerie Cap-Chat
distilleriecapchat.com
16, rue Notre-Dame Est
Cap-Chat (Qc) G0J 1G0
418 575-7899