THE QUALITY PROCESS
Since its founding, CITADELLE has made quality a priority. Following the incorporation of the Cooperative, the Ministry organized a team of eight instructors who visited all members to standardize production techniques and provide producers with the best tools. This program paved the way for the classification of sugar and maple syrup. This measure became a federal regulation in 1930, then provincial, a few years later.
Today, the best storage conditions and packaging have been established to provide consumers with authentic and inspected products, guaranteed to be 100% pure. From the receiving of barrels, to shipping orders, the whole process of transformation of maple syrup is under the supervision of a quality and process control service. The Cooperative has established a quality policy that ensures its good reputation, becoming the reference in the marketing of maple products.
 Weighing barrels upon receiptAround 1950 Photo Henri Paul, Montréal ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative Weighing syrup barrels is a major operation using accurate electronic scales verified by the Weights and Measures Canada |  Sampling from barrelsin the Cooperative's Plessisville Warehouse 1948 Omer Beaudoin Quebec National Library and Arvhives BAnQ Québec Fund of the Ministry of Culture, Communications and the status of Women Series Film Board of Quebec E6, S7, SS1, P62854 Maple syrup samples collected in barrels are sent to the laboratory for analysis. |  The Cooperative first full-timechemist, Armand Roberge, and an assistant Around 1930 ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative In 1930, the first full-time chemist, Armand Roberge, joined the Cooperative to enhance quality standards. He analyzed and classified the syrup flavor, colour and clarity. He was also responsible for enforcing the requirements of sales contracts, such as the humidity level and sugar content in the syrup. |
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 Robert MontambaultLaboratory manager May 1988 ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative |  The laboratory©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative |
Maple sugar and cooperation
1955
Abbé Maurice Proulx
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CITADELLE, GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY
It is essential for the Cooperative to offer consumers a certified quality product. CITADELLE has always promoted pure and authentic maple products. To protect consumers against falsified products, CITADELLE has contributed to the establishment of a law against falsification so that only products made from maple sap and without the addition of foreign substances can be classified as maple products. As a result, the Cooperative has sold its products with the “100% pure” statement since its foundation in 1925. In addition, transparent containers in which CITADELLE markets its products allow consumer to see what they are buying.
WE WANT TO PROMOTE
PURE MAPLE SYRUP!
THIS IS WHY
CITADELLE PRODUCT LABELS PROUDLY STATE,“
100% PURE”
- Cyrille Vaillancourt
1957 L’épicier ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative
March 1932 L'Abeille et l'Érable
Citadelle [195-?] Unknown photographer Quebec National Library and Archives BAnQ Old-Montréal Fund of Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women Series Film Board of Quebec E6, S7, SS1, P214544
1967 Unknown photographer ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative
Around 1985 Unknown photographer ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative
1996 Jacques Vallée, photoghrapher ©Citadelle, Archives, Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative
DID YOU KNOW THAT
In 1950, the United States threatened to put an embargo on maple products from Québec?
Indeed, product adulteration was so pervasive that Washington informed the Government of Quebec that if things do not straighten, border trade with the US would close. A campaign was launched by the provincial government to ensure that only maple products without additions of foreign sugars can be marketed as the "Maple products"
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LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
Around 1920-1930 Citadelle collection, Maple Syrup Producers' cooperative The colorimeter created by the founder, Cyrille Vaillancourt, to help classified the syrup by its colour.
1970s Ministry of Agriculture of Quebec Citadelle collection, Maple Syrup Producers' Cooperative
Chainomatic 1920's Christian Baker Inc. Balance that can measures small quantity, lower than 100 milligrams
Citadelle collection, Maple Syrup Producers' Cooperative The refractometer is use to measure the total quantity of sugar in maple syrup in Brix degrees.
Model 11 Before 1947 Coleman Electric Co. Inc. Citadelle collection, Maple Syrup Producers' Cooperative The spectrophotometer allows to measure the percentage of light transmitted by the maple syrup.
1950-1970 Citadelle collection, Maple Syrup Producers' Cooperative The spectrophotometer measures the light transmission and detects the presence of lead in maple syryp.
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THE FIGHT AGAINST LEAD CONTAMINATION
Analysis performed in Vermont in 1936 revealed widespread presence of lead in maple products. A law was enacted to the US prohibiting the sale of contaminated syrup. On April 10, 1936, US Customs blocked shipments of maple products from the Cooperative. Trade with the United States was threatened. Cooperative and Ministry chemists then found a way to solidify the lead and extract it from the product, but they also had to eliminate the cause.
An experimental sugar shack was established in Plessisville in order to find the exact causes of this lead contamination and remedy the situation. Lead soldered buckets used for harvesting maple sap were the main cause of contamination. After several years of research and experimentation, they determined that aluminum would be the ideal replacement material.
A Belgian aluminum producer, Georges-Armand L’Hoir, set up in Lévis a factory whose construction was financed by the Caisses populaires Desjardins. Mr. L’Hoir paid a monthly rent and the Cooperative guaranteed the order of replacement boilers. Since replacement costs were high for the producers, a program administered by the Cooperative allowed them to replace their old buckets and pay only one third of the cost, the federal and provincial governments each covering the other two thirds. This replacement program was not completed until two decades later, in March 1960. Aluminum having been subject to rationing during the war, bucket production was greatly affected.
