Quebec exports chocolate… a lot of chocolate, in fact! Chocolate is the second most exported agri-food product from the province, after pork. In 2022, Quebec companies exported $638 million, according to data from the Institut de la tourisme du Québec (ISQ). But where does all that chocolate go? The answer is simple: in the United States. Our southern neighbors buy 98% of Quebec chocolate exports. This commercial success can be explained by the artificially high price of sugar in the United States, due to the American government’s support for domestic sugar production. Since chocolate products are made up of at least half sugar, Quebec production is cheaper than American chocolate production.

One of the three largest coffin manufacturers in North America is from Quebec. Present in the United States and the United Kingdom, the SME Victoriaville

Quebec exports more than 70% of the horse meat produced in the province. The reluctance of Quebecers to consume this meat does not find the same echo in other countries, which offers opportunities in Japan, which attracts 61% of Quebec exports, in the United States (18%) and in France (15% ), according to MAPAQ figures. The main Quebec horse slaughtering and cutting plant is Viande Richelieu, in Massueville, in Montérégie. Canada has strengthened its position as the world’s second-largest exporter since the United States banned the slaughter of horses for meat in 2007. However, only 1% of Canadian horses are raised for meat.

During your next stay in the southern United States, the drinking water you consume will perhaps be produced by a company in Sherbrooke. Indeed, Oneka Technologies has created floating seawater desalination units, which use wave energy to pump water and make it drinkable. One buoy provides the water needs of 200 to 300 people. Tests are being conducted in Nova Scotia, Florida, California and Chile. The SME is developing a system capable of producing half a million liters per day, capable of supplying large cities. Other units are intended for emergencies to rescue populations struck by natural disasters.