Agrilait

What Agrilait does

La Coop Agrilait is a member-owned agricultural cooperative headquartered in Saint-Guillaume, Quebec, founded in 1940 by approximately 50 milk producers as La Société Coopérative Agricole de Beurrerie de Saint-Guillaume. It serves 236 agricultural producer members and 220 auxiliary members through a vertically integrated portfolio spanning dairy processing, agronomic services, hardware retail, petroleum distribution, and convenience retail. The cooperative owns and operates the Fromagerie Saint-Guillaume cheese dairy, which processes approximately 22–24 million litres of milk annually into Cheddar (Doux, Assaisonné, Frais du Jour, Vieillis), Brick, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Emmental, Mozzarella, Tortillon, and the 2011-launched Le Cantolait, plus whey powder as a cheese-production byproduct.

The cooperative's core technology is conventional cheese manufacturing and dairy processing, modernized in 2022 through a CAD $859,833 government grant under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund that introduced automated equipment targeting a 35% annual increase in processing capacity. Supporting operations include a Unimat hardware and building-materials store with delivery capability, a Sonic-branded petroleum station offering gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and propane, a 7-day convenience store (dépanneur) carrying SAQ wines and spirits, an agricultural inputs and consulting division (seeds, fertilizers, crop protection, feed programs, forage and soil analysis, agro-environmental planning, grain transactions), and the Centre d'interprétation St-Guillaume tourist/educational facility.

Agrilait generates revenue through unit-priced product sales across its retail and wholesale channels: direct cheese sales (multiple package sizes from 75 g to 18 kg blocks), 25 kg whey powder bags, hardware/building materials, petroleum products (with delivery), and convenience-store goods. Distribution is hybrid, combining on-site direct retail at the Saint-Guillaume campus with wholesale placement in major Quebec and Canadian grocery chains. The cooperative model returns surplus to members via patronage refunds (ristournes), and the company reported revenue of approximately CAD $33 million in FY2006 and CAD $40 million annually by 2007–2009, with the most recent headcount disclosure at approximately 160 employees, making Agrilait the largest employer in Saint-Guillaume.

Name

Agrilait

Legal name

Coopérative Agricole Agrilait

Website

https://agrilaitcoop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

La Coop Agrilait is a member-owned Quebec agricultural cooperative that operates the Fromagerie Saint-Guillaume cheese dairy, processes ~24M litres of milk annually, and serves 236 producer members with diversified ag inputs, hardware, petroleum, and retail services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dry, Condensed, and Evaporated Dairy Product Manufacturing (311514)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA), Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB), Cheese Byproduct & Waste Stream Processing (Whey Routing, Brine Management) (AFAHABAK)

Keywords

• Dairy products
• Agricultural cooperative
• Cheese manufacturing
• Farm supplies
• Hardware retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Guillaume

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cheese and Dairy Products: Agrilait owns the St-Guillaume Cheese Dairy, processing approximately 24 million litres of milk annually into various cheeses including Cheddar, Brick, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and salted curled-style cheese curd (tortillon). Also produces whey powder (poudre de lactosérum).
2. Hardware and Building Materials: Full-service hardware store (Unimat) offering renovation supplies, construction materials, electrical, plumbing, automotive, seasonal items, pet food, and a PLUS VERT garden centre with fertilizers, compost, and annual flowers.
3. Petroleum Products: Sonic-branded petroleum products including gasoline (super, regular, ethanol), diesel, heating oil, and propane for farm, commercial, and urban sectors with delivery services.
4. Agricultural Services and Farm Products: Comprehensive agricultural services including animal production support (dairy, beef, sheep, goats, rabbits, horses, pigs, poultry), crop production (field crops, vegetables, small fruits, agro-environment), grain transactions (corn, soy, barley, oats, soybean meal, distillery grains), and farm supplies (seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, feed).
5. Convenience Store and Retail: Convenience store (dépanneur) open 7 days a week from 7am to 10pm, offering SAQ wines and spirits, beer, dairy products, lottery products, and St-Guillaume cheeses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Coop Agrilait is an agricultural cooperative that operates the St-Guillaume Cheese Dairy, processing approximately 22-24 million litres of milk annually into branded cheeses (Cheddar, Brick, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Tortillon, Cantolait) and whey powder. The cooperative also operates a Unimat hardware store with building materials, a Sonic-branded petroleum station, a convenience store with SAQ wines and spirits, and provides agricultural consulting and farm supplies (seeds, fertilizers, feed, crop protection products) to its producer members.

Product overview

La Coop Agrilait is an agricultural cooperative founded in 1940 in Saint-Guillaume, Quebec, operating primarily as a dairy processor and cheese manufacturer at the Fromagerie Saint-Guillaume, which transforms approximately 24 million litres of milk annually into a portfolio of branded cheeses including Brick, Cheddar varieties (Frais du Jour, Doux, Assaisonné, Vieillis), Monterey Jack, Suisse, Emmental, Mozzarella, Tortillon, and the 2011-launched Cantolait. The cooperative also produces whey powder as a cheese byproduct. Beyond dairy, the cooperative operates diversified divisions including a farm products and consulting division serving agricultural producers with seeds, fertilizers, animal feed, crop protection products, and agronomic services; a hardware and building materials store; a convenience store; and a Sonic-branded petroleum station. The St-Guillaume Interpretation Centre provides educational cheese-making tours to tourists. With approximately 160 employees and annual revenue of $40 million, the cooperative serves 236 producer members and 220 auxiliary members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fromagerie Saint-Guillaume: Cheese dairy producing cheddar, brick, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and tortillon cheeses.
• Fromages St-Guillaume
• Unimat

Products and services

• St-Guillaume Cheeses Cheese products including Brick, Cheddar varieties (Doux, Assaisonné, Frais du Jour, Vieillis), Monterey Jack, Suisse, Emmental, Mozzarella, Tortillon, and Cantolait, produced at the Fromagerie Saint-Guillaume which processes approximately 22-24 million litres of milk annually. Sold to consumers through grocery chains, the cooperative's own retail, and the cheese interpretation centre.
• Brick Cheese Lactose-free semi-firm cheese made from pasteurized milk with 29% minimum fat content, creamier texture and better stretching properties than mozzarella, suitable for gratin and heated applications without burning. Available in 400 gr, 800 gr, 2.27 kg, 4.5 kg, 9.0 kg, 18 kg blocks; also meule, sac, pointe, and brine packaging options.
• Cheddar Frais du Jour Fresh, unpressed cheddar cheese made from pasteurized milk with 31% minimum fat content, less acidic and less salty than market alternatives, tender texture that melts in the mouth. Available in grains (75 gr, 150 gr, 300 gr, 1 kg, 2 kg) and blocks (200 gr, 340 gr, 750 gr, 1.15 kg, 2.27 kg, 4.5 kg, 9 kg).
• Le Cantolait New cheese product launched in April 2011 at the Fromagerie St-Guillaume, representing an expansion of the St-Guillaume cheese product line for consumers and grocery retail.
• Poudre de lactosérum (Whey Powder) Whey derivative from cheese production, available in 25 kg (55 lb) bags, certified Kosher, with minimum 11% protein, maximum 1.2% fat, 75% minimum lactose content, 24-month shelf life. 50 bags per pallet. Sold to food manufacturers and animal feed producers.
• Centre d'interprétation St-Guillaume Interactive cheese interpretation centre and tourist attraction where visitors learn about cheese-making history and processes, can press their own cheese. Open Tuesday-Sunday (Tue-Fri 10am-5:30pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5:30pm) with guided tours available for tourists and groups.
• Farm Products and Expert Consulting Agricultural supplies and professional consulting services for farms. Includes animal production support (dairy cattle, beef, sheep, goats, rabbits, horses, pigs, poultry), crop production (field crops, vegetables, berries), agro-environmental planning, feed programs, forage analysis, soil analysis, seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and grain transactions (corn, soy, barley, oats, soybean meal, distillery draff). Serves cooperative's 236 agricultural producer members.
• Hardware Store and Building Materials Unimat-branded hardware store and building materials division offering renovation supplies, electrical and plumbing products, automotive parts, pet food, seasonal items, garden centre with fertilizers and compost, annual flowers, and construction materials for DIY consumers and professional contractors. Equipped with specialized delivery truck.
• Sonic Petroleum Products and Gas Station Sonic-branded petroleum products including gasoline (super, unleaded, ethanol), diesel, home heating oil, and propane. Delivered to farm, commercial, and urban customers. Includes convenience store (dépanneur) open 7am-10pm, 7 days a week, offering SAQ wines and spirits, beer, dairy products, lottery products, and St-Guillaume cheeses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% increase in cheese processing capacity
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SonicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgrilait is affiliated with Sonic brand for petroleum products distribution. La Coop Agrilait offers petroleum products under the Sonic brand including gasoline, ethanol, diesel, heating oil, and propane to farm, commercial, and urban customers.
• Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgrilait's convenience store offers SAQ wines and spirits for sale during the same hours as the dépanneur (7am-10pm, 7 days a week).
• UnimatminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgrilait operates an Unimat hardware store offering building materials, hardware, tools, electrical, plumbing, automotive, seasonal items, and garden products. Unimat is a hardware store brand.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Saputo Inc. Saputo is Canada's largest dairy processor and one of the top ten globally, with extensive cheese, fluid milk, and dairy ingredient operations across Canada, the US, and internationally. Comparable to Agrilait because it competes directly on Quebec retail shelves with St-Guillaume cheeses through national grocery distribution.
• Schreiber Foods: Schreiber Foods is a major privately held dairy company producing cheese, yogurt, and dairy ingredients for retail and foodservice customers globally. Comparable to Agrilait because it operates cheese manufacturing at scale and competes in the same whey powder and processed cheese categories.
• Arla Foods: Arla Foods is a multinational dairy cooperative owned by farmers across Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, producing cheese, butter, and dairy ingredients. Comparable to Agrilait as a member-owned dairy cooperative structure and global cheese manufacturer, though at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• La Fromagerie Champêtre: La Fromagerie Champêtre is a Quebec-based specialty cheese producer focused on organic and farmstead cheeses for Quebec and Eastern Canadian markets. Comparable to Agrilait because it produces specialty Quebec cheeses for similar regional retail channels, though at smaller artisanal scale.

Direct peers

• Gay Lea Foods Co-operative: Gay Lea Foods is a Canadian dairy cooperative producing cheese, butter, and dairy ingredients with thousands of member producers across Ontario and Western Canada. Comparable to Agrilait because both operate under the cooperative member-producer model with collective milk processing and member governance.
• Agropur Cooperative: Agropur is one of the largest dairy cooperatives in North America, headquartered in Quebec, producing cheese, milk, yogurt, and whey ingredients. Comparable to Agrilait because both are Quebec-rooted dairy cooperatives operating cheese processing facilities and serving member producers, though at substantially larger scale.
• Fromagerie Bergeron: Fromagerie Bergeron is a Quebec artisanal cheese producer based in Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, specializing in traditional Quebec cheese varieties. Comparable to Agrilait because it produces award-winning Quebec specialty cheeses competing in the same regional grocery and foodservice channels.
• Fromagerie Saint-Père: Fromagerie Saint-Père is a Quebec artisan cheese maker producing fresh cheddars, curds, and specialty cheeses for retail and foodservice. Comparable to Agrilait because of similar Quebec cheddar and fresh cheese focus, similar scale of operations, and overlapping retail distribution through regional grocery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-coop-agrilait

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agrilait