La QV

What La QV does

La QV is a Montreal-based wine, cider, and spirits agency founded in 2007 by Cyril Kérébel, operating exclusively in the province of Quebec. The company represents approximately 165 artisan producers from France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Georgia, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Canada, the United States, and other countries, focusing on natural, organic, and biodynamic wines. Its product portfolio comprises three lines: Private Imports (134 SKUs sold by case via e-commerce with SAQ-pickup fulfillment), SAQ Products (220 SKUs distributed through the government-owned Société des alcools du Québec retail network under a "QV stamp" curatorial mark), and Terroir (54 Quebec-made local wines, ciders, beers, spirits, and meads). The company also offers corporate gifting, tasting events, and wine consultation services to business clients.

Name

La QV

Legal name

La QV

Website

https://laqv.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La QV is a Montreal-based wine, cider, and spirits agency representing ~165 artisan producers and selling through a Shopify e-commerce site, the Quebec SAQ retail network, and a regional field sales team serving individual consumers and licensed restaurants across Quebec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine and Spirits Distribution

NAICS

Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wine Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAB)

Keywords

• Wine distribution agency
• Private wine imports
• Natural wine curation
• Quebec beverage distribution
• Artisan wine agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Agency fees (frais d'agence): Service fees charged on private import orders. These fees are included in the displayed price and paid at checkout when ordering through the website. The agency acts as intermediary between producers and SAQ/customers.
2. SAQ commissions: Revenue from products sold through the SAQ network. The company acts as agent for producers, earning commissions on sales through SAQ retail locations.
3. Corporate/restaurant sales: B2B sales to licensed restaurants and businesses. The field sales team promotes products to restaurant accounts who purchase through SAQ or as private imports.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La QV is a wine, cider, and spirits agency representing approximately 165 artisan producers from around the world. It distributes natural, organic, and biodynamic wines through three channels: private imports ordered online and picked up at SAQ locations, regular SAQ-network products sold through Société des alcools du Québec retail stores, and local Quebec terroir products from regional producers.

Product overview

La QV is a Quebec-based wine, cider, and spirits agency founded in 2007 by Cyril Kérébel. The company operates three main product lines: Private Import (exclusive wines available by case at the boutique), SAQ Products (wines and spirits distributed through the SAQ retail network), and Terroir (local Quebec products including wines, ciders, beers, and meads). La QV represents approximately 165 producers from around the world and Quebec, working with artisan winemakers who practice organic, biodynamic, or natural winemaking methods. The agency provides corporate gifting, tasting events, and consultation services, with a sales representative team covering all regions of Quebec.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Import (Importation privée) Exclusive wines selected through research at producers worldwide, available for purchase by case through the laqv.ca online store and shipped to a SAQ pickup location of the customer's choice. Target customers are individual consumers (Particuliers) seeking unique artisan wines not available through standard retail.
• SAQ Products Wines and spirits available through the SAQ network under the La QV quality label (pastille QV), purchasable exclusively at SAQ retail locations across Quebec. Includes approximately 220 SAQ-listed products curated by La QV.
• Terroir (Local Quebec Products) Local Quebec wines, ciders, spirits, beers, and meads from regional artisans, with direct ordering from producers for consumers and licensee orders handled through La QV. Includes approximately 54 terroir products.
• Corporate Gifting and Events Corporate gift solutions, tasting events, and consultation services offered to business clients for customized wine and spirits selections.
• Wine, Cider and Spirits Agency Services Representation and distribution services connecting approximately 165 artisan winemakers and producers with Quebec consumers through a network of regional sales representatives across the province.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• WineAlign: Canadian wine media, reviews, and online commerce platform covering wines available through provincial liquor boards including the SAQ. Adjacent to La QV's curated natural wine positioning, serving overlapping consumer and trade audiences without direct agency/distribution competition.

Direct peers

• Broadbent Select Wines: Canadian importer and wine agency representing a portfolio of international producers to Canadian provincial markets. Operates a comparable agency model with field sales to restaurants and liquor board listings, similar in size and scope to La QV.
• Trialto Wine & Spirits: Canadian wine and spirits agency representing producers to provincial liquor boards and restaurants. Highly comparable business model to La QV: agency representation, field sales to on-premise accounts, and curated producer portfolio. Differs in being national in scope rather than Quebec-only.
• Lifford Wine & Spirits: Toronto-based Canadian wine agency representing imported and craft producers to provincial liquor boards and restaurants. Shares the agency-to-LCB/restaurant distribution model and curated producer portfolio approach with La QV, though focused on Ontario rather than Quebec.

Broad incumbents

• Mark Anthony Group: One of Canada's largest alcohol importers and producers, distributing wine, beer, and spirits across all provinces. Overlaps with La QV in Canadian alcohol distribution and restaurant/restaurant supply, but at much larger scale with a broad portfolio rather than a natural/artisan focus.
• Andrew Peller Limited: Major Canadian wine producer and retailer (Peller Estates, Thirty Bench, WineCountry Vintners). Operates at the intersection of wine production, import, and retail that overlaps with La QV's curated wine business, though at significantly larger scale and with owned production assets.
• Corby Spirit and Wine Limited: Canadian marketer and distributor of spirits and wines representing Pernod Ricard and other international brands across Canada. Comparable to La QV in the agency/representation function, but at much larger scale and focused on mass-market spirits rather than artisan natural wines.
• Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits: Canadian wine and spirits company producing and distributing brands including Inniskillin and Jackson-Triggs through provincial channels. Comparable to La QV's role as a curated wine portfolio in Canadian distribution, though operates as both producer and distributor at greater scale.
• Pernod Ricard Canada: Canadian operations of global alcohol giant Pernod Ricard, distributing wine and spirits through SAQ and other provincial boards. Functions in the same distribution channels as La QV, but with a global portfolio and scale orders of magnitude larger than a niche natural wine agency.

Regional players

• Vintages (LCBO): LCBO's premium wine retail program in Ontario, offering curated fine wines through a designated retail channel analogous to SAQ's specialty offerings. Comparable in curating premium and imported wines for off-premise consumers, though operates in Ontario rather than Quebec and is a government-run retail channel rather than an agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-qv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 La QV