“Since I was very young, I have loved food. My mother always told me that from the age of four, if someone greased my toast in the morning, I would freak out. I have always cooked at home and I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father took over the family hardware store, everyone has a different business in my family, entrepreneurship is quite in our blood,” says Mr. Pearson.
Left home at the age of 16, he did his DEP in cooking. At the age of 17, he then went to Quebec to do his ASP, his gastronomic specialization at the hotel school. He worked at Saint-Amour during his training.
Returning to the region at 19, he was hired by the Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean during the launch of the Zone Boréale and the festivities of the 175e anniversary of the region. Its mandate was to promote local products, distribute recipe cards and offer cooking classes to the general public.
Chef at home
After his contract, he embarked on the home chef trend, becoming one of the first to bring this concept to the region. It was therefore around 12 years ago that he started as a self-employed worker. He did it for seven years.
After three years, his income was enough to “stand on his own two feet.” He then launched the chocolate factory. It all started with one of his friends, owner of Pause Café Salac, who asked him to make chocolate with his coffee beans.
“The goal was really not to make a chocolate factory at first, it was just to please my friends. Except that, without even realizing it, after one, two, three, four, five products, a few years ago, I realized that we had around thirty points of sale and 45 products,” shares Francis Pearson.
The home chef service continued while the chocolate factory built itself. Mr. Pearson has quietly evolved into a more corporate catering service, also allowing for fundraising collaborations.
Faced with the pandemic
The pandemic put a halt to these services, at the same time as the entrepreneur had just purchased a new commercial building to increase the scale of the business. The vocation of the company therefore changed to a prepared food counter, while continuing the chocolate factory.
The catering service was brought back about two years ago, focusing on the corporate side. The company rather targets chic, standing events, with a large number of people. A service of food truck was also in operation for the last five years and was converted into a mobile catering unit.
Passionate about real estate, Mr. Pearson also owns some assets, notably his building. He also calls himself a pioneer in the Boreal region, since he likes to use and promote local ingredients.
A repositioning
The company itself is in the process of merging its three sectors of activity, namely catering, chocolate and food from the Boreal region. For the past year, the company has become Pearson – Comptoir gourmet et chocolats fines. There are approximately 14 employees who work in all these spheres, plus Mr. Pearson and his wife.
The company is seeking to grow its market in grocery stores in the rest of Quebec within 18 months. Phase two will launch in September and be shared with employees in March, consisting mainly of internal investments. Phase three is a move, going from 2,000 square feet to at least 5,000 square feet. The goal is to become the largest caterer in the region within three to four years.
“My greatest achievement is to have started from truly zero. I come from the countryside, not from a wealthy family. My greatest pride is having succeeded on my own, without having needed external investors,” says the food enthusiast.
“As for my biggest challenge, it’s also my biggest success. I advise you not to do like me. Don’t try to do everything alone. Surrounding yourself with good people in business is extremely important. You have to ask for help if necessary as well as find financing,” he adds.
The future is a vision of growth for the company. Before embarking on this expansion, the entrepreneur takes the time to start a family before embarking on new challenges. The next few years are going to be eventful for Pearson – Gourmet counter and fine chocolates. He takes the time to ensure that the company’s structure, both financially and legally, is ready to support this growth.
