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.png "How it all began: Project Olive")
5 years ago, the SQDC came to life. And we've built our success together from the ground up.
As we mark our 5th anniversary, we're shining a spotlight on our pioneers, who have been with us since the very beginning, as well as on those who make the difference every day to better accomplish our mission.
Today, we’re giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the germination of this historic event for Québec.
In November 2017, the Québec government gave the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) a mandate to create the SQDC – with less than a year to go before the official opening of the first stores! A small group, affectionately dubbed the “Olive team,” was given the task of building a new brick-and-mortar and online retail network from the ground up, including everything needed to run it.
They had exactly 11 months to get the job done. The clock was ticking.
In the following months, the team of around 10 people assigned to creating the SQDC got down to work. They were led by Alain Brunet, then-President and Chief Executive Officer of the SAQ, and Jean-François Bergeron, who would become the SQDC’s first President and Chief Executive Officer. Eve Larrivée, now Vice-President, eCommerce, recalls the atmosphere in the room set aside for the eCommerce, Finance, Sales and IT teams:
“There were about 20 of us in that room – we called it the space shuttle – and we worked tirelessly. I’d say it was a six-month sprint.”
Of course, the SQDC had to sign agreements with suppliers. The industry had just three months to get up and running – that was the window from passage of the legalization bill in the House of Commons to the official opening of the first SQDC stores. Geneviève Giroux, Vice-President, Demand and Product Management, looks back:
“Our team was very small. There were fewer than 10 of us to work out the procurement system and the number of products along with their categories and characteristics. And, of course, we had no direct experience to guide us, because the only reference point was the illegal market.”
The producers sent their first shipments to the SQDC, with the first deliveries arriving at the Rosemont store. The first people in Canada to legally take delivery of recreational cannabis products were:
Paul Furfaro remembers that day very clearly:
“We didn’t know what to expect, but I truly didn’t think the shipment would come complete with armed guards. It was surreal!”
On October 15 and 16, excitement coursed through every part of the SQDC, from head office to the stores. The finishing touches were being put on the stores, IT systems were being put through countless tests and partners, dignitaries and media were given tours of the Rue Saint-Hubert store.
“We were a day away from cannabis sales and use becoming fully legal in Canada! We’d been talking about it for years and now it was really happening.
We held a press conference at our Rue Saint-Hubert store, one of the 12 that would open the next day. More than 50 reporters and their technical crews descended on the site. You could hear French, English, Italian, German… and there were cameras everywhere. It was unlike pretty much any press conference I’d seen, and it gave me an adrenaline rush! I knew I was part of an historic event, and I was stoked.”
- Éliane Hamel, Vice-President, Social Responsibility, Health Protection and Communications
“We’d received our very first shipment early in the evening. It took us until 1 a.m. to finish stocking the shelves, and when we left there were already a few people waiting outside. They had sleeping bags and camping chairs. That’s when I realized the next day would be epic.”
- Julie Richard, Mirabel store manager and current regional director
"They say you should get a good night’s sleep before a big day, but there was no sleep to be had. Instead, that night brought a crowd of customers and, especially, plenty of excitement."
Feel the excitement of the teams who were there on the historic opening day: October 17, 2018.
Five years ago, our people sprouted.
Over five years, our people grew.
After five years, our people are flourishing.
.png "A budding industry pioneered by our producers")
New industry, new challenges taken up by our grower-builders. Discover their enthusiasm for legalization and the trusting relationships they've built together.
.png?mw=380&mh=254&sh=6758a "Three Flourishing Portraits at the SQDC")
Over the last five years, our people have grown. Learn how three members of our big family have flourished and excelled and are working every day to achieve their full potential.