Hosting it all was the trio at Houblon Grand Calumet: Lisa Lance, her partner Richard Côté and Pierre Fréchette, who launched their hops business on the island earlier this year. The event ran from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with around 55 people in attendance.

The event was aimed at acknowledging all the support they received from their family, friends and volunteers who helped get Houblon running smoothly. A few attendees were also invited to get to know the company and see what they offer.

Guests arrived all wearing masks and mingled with one another while sipping beer made with the hops from Houblon Grand Calumet’s hops — Kottbusser and Weizenbocker are the two at the brewery using the company’s product, which are available to be purchased at select stores around Quebec.

When everyone was settled in, the trio addressed the crowd.

“Thank you all for coming. A lot of you have been volunteers helping out in the field and I appreciate that,” he said. “The fact that these folks came back from the city and I myself have now joined the pack permanently after retirement, it’s a sign that there’s potential in the Pontiac. There’s greatness in the Pontiac, and it’s a community that can work together.”

Following the speech and raised glasses, an assortment of German food was served, from pretzels to sausages to cheese. Though the weather was less than ideal, many guests still enjoyed the rest of the event on the outdoor patio.

“It’s like one big family getting together to celebrate the start of a new era for this company,” said Pat Dupont, who is Fréchette’s son-in-law and a volunteer. “It’s a fun business and it’s a family business, it’s all about family. They’ve got a good thing going on.”

“I’m glad to see that there are people coming back to the island and starting companies like that,” added Mona Donnelly, a councilor on Île du Grand Calumet. “Like Pierre said in his speech, getting us back on the map is something that is important and something that is viable. It’s just a matter of people investing their time and energy and doing something with it, so it makes me very happy to see that that’s happening.”

Now that their company has officially launched, the team is looking forward to what’s ahead.

“We’ve reached out to a lot of different breweries and have gotten a lot of positive feedback, so that’s really encouraging. And we hope later in the summer to go out and meet them and really give them a feel for what we do and what we produce,” said Lance.

“In my mind, it’s a small organization of five point five acres, but it’s five point five acres of quality hops; well-equipped, well-thought-out,” said Fréchette. “We are working on a quality product, we want to be able to provide microbreweries and homebrewers with a quality product.”

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