Confitures et marinades Raymond : faites pour plaire!

Published on by Communications Écomusée du fier monde

Montréal, Wednesday October 28, 2015 – Strawberry or raspberry jams, stuffed olives, pickles, catsup, mayonnaise and sweet or sour marinated vegetables… Quebecois families have been savoring Raymond products for close to seven decades. The Confitures et marinades Raymond : faites pour plaire! exhibition reminds us of these products and how they marked the memories of multiple generations. Photographs, advertisements, objects, personal accounts and digital reconstructions all help to highlight a major Montréal company that dominated its sector for a good part of the 20th century. The exhibition also tells the story of the men and women who contributed to its development. Confitures et marinades Raymond : faites pour plaire! is presented from October 29, 2015 until February 14, 2016 at the Écomusée du fier monde.

Raymond jam jar, taken from an ad, 1920. Revue moderne, Écomusée du fier monde
Raymond jam jar, taken from an ad, 1920. Revue moderne, Écomusée du fier monde

The biggest preserved foods factory

Founded in 1905, the family company Alphonse Raymond Ltée establishes its headquarters on rue Panet in Montréal’s Centre-Sud neighbourhood. By 1936 the Raymond house expands into the biggest preserved foods factory in Quebec. The rise and success of Alphonse Raymond illustrates the contribution of an entire generation of French-Canadian businessmen to the economic growth of the city. The contributions of its workers are also a key ingredient in the company’s prosperity. At its peak, the company counts approximately 200 permanent employees and up to 800 temporary employees during harvest and fruit and vegetable receiving periods. Some of their personal accounts make up part of the exhibition and offer a glimpse into their lives.

From the field to the factory, photographs serve to illustrate procurement and the stages of transformation. Then it’s on from the factory to the stores, where the products are offered to the public. In the 1960’s, consumers can pick from over a hundred products. Containers, advertisements and recipes all help to retrace the fond memories linked to Raymond jams and marinades.

An exceptional industrial complex

The industrial complex undergoes different stages of growth and ultimately etches itself into the neighbourhood landscape. Today, Usine C occupies the depot and the boiler room of this exceptional industrial heritage site. 4D modelling reunites space and time, allowing us to better understand the logic behind the development of the site and its impact on the surrounding urban fabric.

The exhibition is only in French.

 

The exhibition is supported by the research of the Laboratoire d’histoire et de patrimoine de Montréal directed by Joanne Burgess, and is carried out in collaboration with the Écomusée du fier monde.

This project benefits from the financial support of the ministère de la Culture et des Communications and of the City of Montréal through a program that supports the spread of Montréal’s heritage.

 

Écomusée du fier monde
2050 Amherst Street
Corner Ontario
Berri-UQAM Metro Station

Opening Hours
Wednesday: 11 am to 8 pm
Thursday/Friday: 9:30 am to 4 pm
Saturday/Sunday: 10:30 am to 5 pm

Admission Fees
Adult: $8
Student/senior/child over 6: $6
Family (2 adults, 3 children): $16

Informations: 514 528-8444 | ecomusee.qc.ca

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For more information, photographs and interviews:
Marie-Josée Lemaire-Caplette | 514 528-8444 | 
Source: Écomusée du fier monde

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