Our story

The 20^th century saw the new cooperative model flourish. In 1910, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Georges-Auguste Gigault, explained to the annual convention of the Dairy Industry Society his opinion in favour of agricultural cooperation:

“It was co-operation that created our export trade in dairy products. As long as farmers did not bring their milk to factories to be processed together, the export trade was nil. Today this trade gives us millions, because the co-operation delivers to the trade products remarkable for quality, products which domestic manufacture could not supply.”

This new type of structure, which encouraged profit-sharing among its members, was in vogue in the 1930s and 1940s, and many farmers got together to set up their own local cooperative. Over time, globalisation and the increase in foreign-made products put pressure on supply chains and many co-operatives joined forces to stay in business. Today, Uniag is proud to represent over 900 members in Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Ontario.

1934

Sainte-Martine, QC

The Cooperative of Sainte-Martine, QC

The Sainte-Martine Cooperative was founded in 1934. Its operations began in a house rented from the agricultural school in Ste-Martine. Mr. Barnabé Laberge was the first president of the cooperative.

1936

Sherrington, QC

The Cooperative of Sherrington, QC

At its birth in 1936, the Sherrington Cooperative had 118 producers from the towns of Sherrington, Saint-Édouard and Saint-Michel. J.-A. Pinsonneault, was the instigator of this tremendous success.

1937

Saint-Polycarpe, QC

The Cooperative of Saint-Polycarpe, QC

The Saint-Polycarpe Farmers’ Cooperative was founded by 33 farmers. They wanted to operate a butter factory and a grain screening station.

1942

St-Albert, ON

The Cooperative of St-Albert, ON

On July 28^th, 1942, the three founding members signed the charter of the new cooperative. They were Albert Benoit, Albert Genier and Hector Ouimet. At the beginning, there were 35 members and 6 months later, on December 31^st, 1942, the number of members reached 70.

1942

Saint-Rémi, QC

The Cooperative of Saint-Rémi, QC

The first Coop in Saint-Rémi was founded in 1915. However, due to financial difficulties, it had to close. In 1942, due to the growing demand, the Coop de Saint-Rémi rose from its ashes and restarted its cooperative mission.

1942

St-Isidore, ON

The Cooperative of St-Isidore, ON

In the beginning, the Coop de St-Isidore concentrated on the classification of eggs. Without the volunteer work of Henri Ranger, Rosario Beauchêne and Rhéal Legault, the Coop de St-Isidore would not have been as successful as it was.

1945

Casselman, ON

The Cooperative of Casselman, ON

On May 16^th, 1945, the incorporation was made under the name of the Casselman Agricultural Society. The following year, the first warehouse was built near the railroad. In 1995, the number of members was 200.

1998

Eastern Ontario

AgriEst Coop

On September 1^st, 1998, the cooperatives of Saint-Isidore, Saint-Albert, Casselman, Cornwall, Alexandria, Vankleed Hill and Clarence Creek amalgamated to create AgriEst Cooperative.

2000

Western Montérégie

Coop des Frontières

It’s in 2000 that the forces of the regional cooperatives of Suroît were gathered. In order to create officially, the Coop des Frontières, the branches of Sainte-Martine, Sainte-Barbe and Saint-Polycarpe united.

2006

Southwestern Quebec

Uniforce Cooperative

On May 29^th, 2006, the Coopérative agricole du sud de Montréal opted for a name more inclusive of its new territory and adopted the name La Coop Uniforce.

2016

Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Ontario

Unifrontières Cooperative

On November 27^th, 2016, the merger between La Coop des Frontières and La Coop Uniforce increased the number of members and allowed for a greater service offering. In addition, on April 1^st, 2017, AgriEst Coop joined Unifrontières.

Since 2020

Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Ontario

Uniag Cooperative

In November 2020, Uniag was born. The new name pays tribute to Unifrontières, to agriculture and to farmers. Uniag Cooperative evokes the notions of innovation, agility and uniqueness, all in both official languages.

The roots of Uniag