Lassonde’s history begins in 1918…or does it? Didn’t everything start with a meeting and a marriage of two young French Canadians in 1896? At the time they were living in Massachusetts with their family, seeking a better life just like many of their compatriots.

What did Georgianna Darcy and Aristide Lassonde have in common? Good taste, undoubtedly, and a keen business sense honed by Georgianna’s family, which ran a thriving bakery, Darcy Pie Co, in Chicopee. They also shared certain character traits often found among entrepreneurs: ambition, tenacity, and a strong work ethic. Aristide’s ideas hitched up with Georgianna’s practical bent.

Health problems put an end to Aristide Lassonde’s first endeavour: a bakery in Indian Orchard. The couple then decided their best option was to return to Quebec. Aristide came from Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton, but it was in Georgianna’s birthplace, Rougemont, that the pair settled in 1903 with their three children, Marie, Léa and Willie. They brought back with them some valuable baggage: enough money to establish themselves, fluency in two languages, French and English, and some business experience, in addition to their drive to succeed on their own terms. It would all bear fruit in the years ahead.

Next column: Aristide’s obsession…