Standing before the counters at Le Farinographe in downtown Rimouski, you immediately sense something exceptional is happening behind the large windows that let you watch the staff and owner at work.
With its May 2024 move across rue Saint-Germain into larger premises better suited to its operations and growth, the bakery, pastry shop and café acquired a modern look that suits it perfectly.
Here, chocolatines are being prepared; over there, baguettes slide into the oven before they later sell ‘like hot cakes,’ as the saying goes. At the counter, staff who know every displayed product and flavour by heart greet customers with a smile, while the tempting aromas wafting through the shop make the taste buds tingle before a single bite is taken.
Now, the counter offers coffee in several forms, to the delight of customers who stop by all day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except Mondays, when it's closed).
A native of Mont-Joli, owner Rémi Bélanger has always worked in the food sector and has a strong interest in organic food. In the 1980s, that interest led him to operate a small organic market garden in St-Octave-de-Métis before returning to education in the 1990s, first as a student and then as a teacher.
One thing led to another. After about 15 years teaching food processing in La Pocatière, he wanted to return home and start another entrepreneurial venture, so he assessed the potential for a new artisan bakery in Rimouski.
The bakery first opened in July 2019 in the complex housing Coop Alina. The co-op was considering expanding its fresh-food section and was keen to include a bakery service. Le Farinographe became, as Rémi puts it, a fine ‘retirement project.’
Beyond an extensive bread selection (from the lightest to the densest), they serve viennoiseries, pastries and a variety of sandwiches. Sourdough remains a house specialty, much loved by the many restaurants that source it from here.
Rémi Bélanger makes no secret of it: the move provided more production space, better street-level visibility and access, and greater autonomy in serving customers. The bakery can now offer breakfast and has added a seating area for eating on site. The team also used the opportunity to revisit parts of the range, including ready-to-eat foods, vegan dishes, sandwiches and pastries.
These production changes have also helped bring the workforce to 19.
Boulangerie Le Farinographe
lefarinographe.com
110, rue Saint-Germain Ouest
Rimouski, QC G5L 4B5
418.725.5297