Guillaume St-Amour has the soul of an entrepreneur. In 1989, after several years as co-owner of a golf course, he acquires the local bakery in his home town of Saint-Donat.

Guillaume wants to settle in his community and loves the product of this bakery, with which he has done business for many years. He thus succeeds several families who have run the business dating back to 1924.

In the beginning, there were the Legaults, the Charbonneaus and the Desmeules. Then came the Beauséjours for about twenty years. Each of these families left their mark, creating the very essence of a traditional bakery.

© Maryse St-Germain

There is a family spirit at the bakery, where the emphasis is on the quality of the products, but above all on the traditions that are the foundations of the company and on the values that stand the test of time… A guarantee that has ensured the continued existence of the bakery for a century.

After some fifteen years, Guillaume decides to build a production facility on land that belonged to his parents.

We built the plant on the family potato cellar.

The recipes are both traditional and simple. They come from family members, friends and employees. The timelessness and authenticity of the desserts explain their success.

It’s a great honour to have people share their recipes with us. We’re proud to have Harold’s devil’s cake*, grandma Thérèse’s carrot cake and Margot Charbonneau’s Queen Elizabeth cake. 

Fred and Guillaume, February 2000

Guillaume invents the classic creamy fudge swirl in response to a customer’s request for maple syrup dumplings. 

It’s a pie sprinkled with nun’s pastries. All the gourmet flavours of the maple syrup dumplings are preserved.

This creation quickly becomes a customer favourite. Mission accomplished!

The St. Donat Bakery production facility, located on the chemin des Ancêtres, enables the bakery to produce and distribute traditional sweet treats throughout Quebec.

Fred, Marie-Ève and Jean-Pierre at SIAL in Toronto, March 2008

Over the years, Guillaume passes on his entrepreneurial passion to Marie-Ève, his only daughter. She is introduced to the world of business at an early age, working her first job at her father’s golf course.

“In the mornings, I drove around in my little golf cart. I sold soft drinks and lemonade to the golfers in a small hut between the 5th and the 6th hole.” 

Driven by overwhelming enthusiasm, Marie-Ève hones her social skills while working in the bakery’s customer service department.

At first I was very shy, but with experience I became more confident.

Grandma Hélène with Julie Perreault and Dany Turcotte during the shooting of La Petite Séduction, in 2006 

Like her father, Marie-Ève feels a strong sense of belonging towards her native Saint-Donat, but she has to leave to Montreal to study at college and university. Much to her delight, her weekends and summers are punctuated with numerous trips to work in the family shop.

I loved what I was doing as well as my working environment. It was a nice atmosphere, it smelled good and people were happy to come and buy our products.

Guillaume and Marie-Ève set in motion a process aimed at achieving a smooth takeover of the business in the years to come. They set up an advisory committee made of seasoned external professionals to support them in their efforts.

“My father and I have different management profiles. The advisory committee helped us to have discussions about business while putting the father-daughter relationship aside.”

People on the committee bring an objective perspective. The advisory committee puts the company’s needs first, regardless of differences of opinion.

What is the best decision for the good of the company?

Blending know-how and people skills 

Marie-Ève takes on business studies, driven by the desire to learn more about herself and to do things the right way.

She takes various psychometric tests and completes several courses at HEC Montréal where she fine tunes her knowledge. In 2010, she joins the first class of the École d’Entrepreneurship de Beauce, a true landmark accomplishment.

It was a great experience; it took me out of my comfort zone and gave me a sense of legitimacy about who I am and about being a company owner.

Marie-Ève forges lasting relationships with her classmates.

I’ve built up an excellent network of contacts.

Her new knowledge enhances her people skills as well as her know-how.

Golden mentors

Marie-Ève hones her management skills and learns from a number of mentors.

“I believe that every person we meet has something interesting to pass on to us.” 

One of her first mentors is her father, who has been open and supportive throughout her professional journey.

He placed his trust in me. Gradually, he gave me more and more responsibilities.

Janaina Borges, founder of Chapeau Rouge, also helps her to improve. Jacinthe Thuot, former managing director of Techno Diesel, is another mentor to the entrepreneur, just as Marcel Bergeron, Raymond St-Sauveur and Terry Henderson, who were members of St. Donat Bakery’s advisory committee. 

Larry Karass, a businessman with whom she speaks on a weekly basis, is another key ally for Marie-Ève.

“These people help me to open up my vision of business development and my approach as an entrepreneur.” 

In the early days, about ten people work at the plant. Over the years however, the popularity of the products becomes such that Guillaume and Marie-Ève have to hire more staff and even expand their facilities in 2014 to keep up.

Distribution goes well beyond St. Donat. We have several satellite warehouses to meet demand and facilitate access to the products.

Guillaume and Marie-Ève sell the shop in 2014. Head baker Luc Audeoud and his partner Francine Turner become the owners of the shop, which is renamed Boulangerie du village.

Guillaume and Marie-Ève take all the time they need to finalize the transition, which turns out to be a success. The family handover goes off without a hitch.

It was a long but smooth journey!

The transaction is finalized in 2017 as Marie-Ève and Guillaume feel ready for the transition. Marie-Ève takes the helm of the company on her 40^th birthday.

We thought it was a great date, the perfect opportunity to proceed with the share transfer.

Marie-Ève takes over as “sole owner” – a role that suits her perfectly. 

“It’s a beautiful story of family succession!”

On March 13, 2020, as Marie-Ève is returning from a trip to India, the provincial government announces one of the biggest health crises in Quebec’s history.

Confined to her home for two weeks as a precautionary measure, it is the members of her team who go to the frontline during this unprecedented time.

“My management team took charge of everything, my plant manager, my human resources manager and my quality manager… They handled the crisis masterfully, adapting daily to the evolving guidelines. ” 

To this day, Marie-Ève feels pride and gratitude towards her team, whom she describes as highly skilled and committed to the company’s success.

Seal of authenticity : quality first !

Despite inflation, Marie-Ève has no intention of jeopardizing the quality of the desserts she offers by cutting back on the quality of the ingredients. 35% cream, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup are some of the ingredients used to make the pastries.

It is the company’s mission to make traditional products “that taste just as good as if you were making them at home.” 

We keep the recipes as authentic as possible by using simple ingredients and adapting them for large-scale distribution.

The entrepreneur must increase sales prices to maintain the quality and standard of authenticity that characterize St. Donat Bakery’s products. Fortunately, customers are always there. Nothing can quench people’s appetite for these home-grown desserts!

“There’s a lot of love and pride in the fruits of our labour. We provide comfort!”

Marie-Ève St-Amour
President and CEO 

With a college diploma in cinema and a bachelor’s degree in communications, Marie-Ève applies some of her theoretical knowledge to her role as manager to bring her entrepreneurial vision to life.

“ Directing a movie and running a business are not as far apart as they might seem. It’s about communicating your ideas as best you can to realize your vision.”

With good social skills, natural enthusiasm and excellent listening skills, the entrepreneur is an accommodating leader who favours a fundamentally humane approach. She strongly believes in consensus.

“I take full responsibility for my decisions, but I like to make them after everyone has given their point of view. Together, we make the best decisions.”

Marie-Ève knows her strengths and weaknesses – she knows how to surround herself with competent people who complement her. She recognizes that the company’s success is closely linked to the exceptional work of her employees, who work together towards a common goal.

I’m not an expert in anything, but I have a vision and I surround myself with competent, committed people who help to make it a reality.

As a business entrepreneur and a mother of two children, she juggles work-life balance, a daily challenge that requires both organisational skills and the ability to let go. She takes steps to ensure that her family matters do not interfere with her work.

“When I’m at work, I’m fully committed, and it’s the same when I’m at home. My family remains the priority.”

The entrepreneur and her colleagues are increasingly interested in circular energy. In particular, they want to find ways of recycling the pie dough scraps generated during production. For instance, some of the surplus is recycled to feed animals.

I find it interesting, relevant and above all important to open our eyes to the issue of resource recycling and to take action.

If there is one company name whose reputation precedes it, it surely is St. Donat Bakery. 

Grab your forks, dig in, and enjoy!

My best pay-off is when a customer tells me that our pies taste just like the desserts their mother used to make.