Trump tariffs: Quebec businesses keeping the supply chain hyper-local

MTHELL hot sauces are as unique as the city in which they're made. (CTV News)

With the threats of tariffs, many Canadians are looking to shop local and some producers are making sure their supply chain is also hyper-local.

MTHell Hot Sauces are as unique as the city in which they’re made.

• Trump imposes 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum

For the last three years, founder Zackary Munn has been discovering more ways to keep his production 100 per cent local.

Even the art on his labels is from Montreal area artists. He now buys fruit straight from the farm.

“We were getting it from Mayrands and from Costco. Now, we have a supply out in Lavaltrie that supplies blueberries. They grow them out there, so it’s 30 minutes away from us. It’s all grown locally,” he said.

Over at Nutra-Fruit in Quebec City, CEO Jean-Francois Veilleux’s fruit of choice is cranberries.

“We process cranberries, we do dried fruits, fresh juice, we do dressings, jams and jellies. We do everything from the cranberry, even cranberry seed oils. So we process the cranberries completely,” he said, including a “berry blossom” with a maraschino cranberry inside dark chocolate.

Veilleux says Nutra-Fruit’s organic cranberries come from the Bois-Franc region near Victoriaville.

“Everything is made in our factory in Quebec City, and we work with local ingredients as well. So, everything comes from nearby, maybe maximum 100 kilometers around the factory,” he said.

He adds that organizations like “Aliments Quebec” help producers support each other. Munn agrees and says buying local for him and for his clients means quality.

“The flavour is more apparent in your product and so you’re supporting a local artist like me who’s then supporting a local producer like that,” Munn said.

Both believe this trend of “shopping local” is here to stay, which they hope will be sweet for Quebecers.