A STORY OF PASSION AND RESILIENCE

Ever since she was little, Catherine Therriault has had a passion for entrepreneurship. Daughter of farmers, she undeniably draws her strength of character from the environment in which she grew up. It was during her studies in fashion marketing that she encountered the world of natural cosmetics. After participating in a cosmetics manufacturing workshop, Catherine realizes that a company in this field could combine her passion for marketing, while allowing her to unleash her overflowing creativity. This sudden craze for natural cosmetics led her to found Les Pétards in 2013, at the age of 21, after more than 3 years of refining its formulas and its concept.

«At the time, eco-friendly cosmetics were synonymous with grano . I had given myself the mission of developing ecological products not for those who already bought this kind of product, but rather for all those who could not find their account in the natural products department. I had no choice at that time to bet everything on the originality of my formulas and the quality of my scents. I had to show off to be noticed in an industry that was already so competitive…” - Catherine

Since the beginning, Catherine has always wanted to keep the manufacturing and formulation of products in-house in her laboratory. The range has stood out thanks to its creativity and the search for exceptional ingredients and textures, a positioning that has earned it recognition in the industry.

2019, the turning point of the company

Six years passed before the brand changed completely. In 2019, the dyke of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, which protected nearly a third of the city, gave way and completely flooded the company's production workshop.

“Everything had to be thrown away.  The equipment, the raw materials, the packaging (…) I had the impression that I had lost everything that I had taken so long to build. It was really hard. But I realized that having lost everything, it also gave me the opportunity to reinvent everything.»

This observation triggered a retrospection on both a personal and corporate level. The 10 months that followed were used to rethink Les Pétards, so that the company reconnected with the entrepreneur who had also evolved over time.

Highlighting boreal beauty

Even before this event, Catherine was planning to return to settle in the Eastern Townships, her native region. She wanted to return to the countryside and reconnect with her region that she loved so much. Inspired by northern landscapes, she remodeled the line to highlight key ingredients from the Canadian territory, while focusing on fresh and oceanic scents that are suitable for everyone. For the sake of consistency, it collaborates with its suppliers to offer only packaging made locally from plastic fished from the oceans or recycled paper. She also decided to review her way of sourcing in order to work only with local suppliers in order to reduce her ecological footprint as much as possible and encourage the local economy.

Through her journey, Catherine has been able to rebuild a business that suits the woman she has become. Now that everything makes sense to her, it confirms to her that she is still in her place for many years to come.