Getting a good shot is enjoyable…, the song pretty much goes. And it is a very good move that Alco Prévention Canada has just succeeded with the sale of 100,000 single-use breathalyzers to Serbia.
Knowing that taking a big hit sickens the mind and causes accidents, the Laval company is delighted that this “historic agreement” marks “a significant step in the fight against drunk driving” in Serbia.
By blowing into a cylinder the size of a pen, the (alcohol) consumer can tell if their blood alcohol level is 0.00, 0.02, 0.05 or 0.08, thanks to the change in color of the crystals inside the tube, which transit from a delicate pink to a very pretty, but disturbing, garnet.
Manufactured by a European company, Alcograd single-use breathalyzers meet European standard NF X 20-702 and have obtained US FDA certification.
Alco Prévention Canada also distributes electronic breathalyzers (breathalyzers, alcohol detectors, breathalyzers) for individuals and businesses. It also rents it out for special events.
Through a network of agents, it distributes its products in around 40 countries, but the Serbian agreement is one of the contracts that would justify popping the champagne.
“It’s a good move,” says Stéphane Mavais, general manager at Alco Prévention Canada. “We distribute in other countries like Indonesia, but these are orders of around 2000 units. »
The Serbian contract is all the more fortunate that it is not the result of a demanding solicitation.
“They just found us with Google and asked for samples,” he says. I didn’t call anyone. We started working together, we developed a packaging. Then all of a sudden, we got a formal purchase order. We sent them an invoice and then the money was deposited in our bank account even before the deliveries! That’s always good! »
“I founded that company in 1989, so 34 years ago,” says Stéphane Mavais.
“Back then, when I was going out to bars with my college friends, people would always say, ‘I think I’m okay,’ even after eight or nine beers. »
“I wondered at the time how to know my alcohol level or how to convince a friend not to drive, he continues. It didn’t exist. There were breathalyzers for the police, and that was it. So I went to the police and asked them who their manufacturer was. I went to meet him in Toronto. »
The young man told him about his idea of distributing breathalyzers to businesses and consumers.
Alco Prévention has since become a reference in single-use breathalyzers, first under the Alco-tube brand, then in its improved Alcograd version.
Stéphane Mrais sold the company in 2015 to his Toronto supplier, on the condition that he stay with the company for another three years. Eight years later, he is still there and devotes himself to market development, a passion confirmed by an extraordinary patter.
The Laval company remains completely autonomous, he assures us.
“We are a dozen people who work in the Laval office, and we continue to fulfill our mission to improve road safety with certified tools. »
His motivations of 34 years ago have not wavered. He is always on the lookout for high-performance products.
“We are working with an American firm that has developed an extraordinary product,” he says. It measures alcohol with your fingers, like a fingerprint. »
In nine seconds, the device detects or not the presence of alcohol. The alcohol level can then be confirmed more precisely with an electronic breathalyzer. It is intended, for example, for truck or school bus fleets.
“It’s a novelty that we think is very interesting, and we have started to market it. It’s not a success yet, but it’s been available for two months, and we hope that by the end of the year, companies will follow. In the United States, we are talking about perhaps a hundred companies that have adopted it as a prevention tool. »
He also wants to market soon a bracelet that measures the alcohol level continuously, by simple epidermal contact, and which tracks it on a mobile application. “I could say to my son, ‘I’ll pass you my car tonight, but you’re going to put on the bracelet.’ »
The American manufacturer SOBRSafe should put it on the market shortly. “It still looks very promising to us for young adults. »
They may not be the first buyers.
A capture project that captivates. Deep Sky, a Quebec-based company developing carbon dioxide capture projects, has partnered with Svante Technologies, a Vancouver-based carbon extraction solutions provider, to assess the feasibility of storing CO2 in the southern Quebec. Svante has developed a filtering system which adsorbs – i.e. fixes on its surface – CO2 molecules at their place of production, for example in pulp and paper or cement factories. The two companies will finance research on the ability to capture and transport CO2 and sequester it underground in Quebec. Deep Sky and Svante have called on the expertise of Sproule to dig into the subject. Founded in Calgary in 1951, the Alberta company specializes in technical and commercial analysis services in the energy sector and has built expertise in carbon management. In addition to the abundance of its hydroelectric energy and its wind potential, Quebec benefits from a vast territory endowed with the ideal geological configuration for the capture of carbon dioxide, argues Deep Sky.
Virtue (environmental, at the very least) could be profitable. A trend called “sustainable sourcing” will represent an “extraordinary” opportunity for Canadian SMEs to adopt ESG (environmental, social and good governance) practices. This is shown by a new study just published by the BDC. The organization surveyed around 100 contractors and more than 1,200 SME suppliers to understand the impact of ESG practices on their sourcing. Sustainable procurement is a process for acquiring goods and services that, in addition to quality and cost criteria, takes ESG criteria into account. The results of the survey indicate that a majority of major contractors have ESG requirements towards their suppliers and that this trend will increase in the coming years. SMEs that adopt ESG practices will reap the benefits. “They will be presented with new business opportunities, find it easier to recruit and retain staff, and improve their access to finance and investment,” the study authors write. This is confirmed by the SMEs surveyed: 76% of supplier companies find it beneficial to adopt ESG practices.
Boulangerie St-Méthode seems to want to carve out a generous slice of the market outside Quebec. In a succinct press release that leaves us a little unsatisfied, the company announces that it is evaluating the possibility of associating with various business partners to continue its development of the pan-Canadian and American markets. “New partners will allow Boulangerie St-Méthode to begin our development projects in the Ontario and United States markets. These are markets within our reach for which consumers are already showing interest in our breads,” said Benoit Faucher, President of Boulangerie St-Méthode, in the said press release. Founded in 1947, Boulangerie St-Méthode now distributes three ranges of bread throughout the province. The Chaudière-Appalaches company employs more than 300 people and generated a turnover of 100 million in 2022.
A new lease of life for Fromagerie L’Ancêtre: the Government of Quebec is granting it nearly $1,140,000 to help it develop new markets and support its automation projects in its facilities in Bécancour and Sainte- Anne-de-la-Perade.
