Our Story

The company, Vivaces Marie Michel Inc., founded in 1991, is owned by Marie-Claude Riendeau and Michel Desgroseilliers, both originally from Saint-Rémi. Marie-Claude pursued a course in ornamental horticulture (1350 hours) and earned her DEP (Diploma of Vocational Studies). Marie-Claude became the reference at Vivaces Marie-Michel due to her unparalleled taste in perennials and annuals, as well as her in-depth knowledge of the field. Michel, while maintaining his transport business, also took an ornamental horticulture course through correspondence. Subsequently, he enrolled in a three-day "sales course" seminar led by specialist Michel Bélanger, which made Michel a keen expert in elevating the company to a higher level.

Through all these stages, they began constructing their first greenhouse on the land in Saint-Rémi. The following year, they added a 250-foot greenhouse. In 1993, the owners acquired a 55,000 square foot greenhouse complex, the current site of Vivaces Marie Michel's offices in Saint-Constant, on the outskirts of Saint-Isidore. They worked very hard to reorganize the complex located in Saint-Constant. With this hard work, they successfully produced remarkably high-quality products and established themselves in the market. In 1994, retail sales began in 5,000 square foot greenhouses designed to welcome the public, which would become the Zotic Garden Center.

Today, this garden center occupies 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, dedicated primarily to sales, but also to the production of perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, small fruits, and many other varieties.

Within the first three years of sales and production, Vivaces Marie Michel became one of the most important producers of perennials and herbs in Quebec and carved out a very significant place for the years to come.

The growing demand for our products, their quality, and the sound management of the company make Vivaces Marie Michel a future benchmark in the ornamental horticulture industry.

Thus, to support their expansion, in 1998 they acquired a new, fully automated 18,000 square foot greenhouse complex in Saint-Rémi, adjacent to their root multiplication fields, which would be specifically dedicated to plant propagation.

With the growing success of Vivaces Marie Michel, the owners acquired production greenhouses in Saint-Zotique in 2007.

Three years later, it would be the Eastern Townships' turn to be taken over by Michel and Marie-Claude with the acquisition of 120,620 square feet of production greenhouses, as well as a garden center in the beautiful city of Magog, which is the location of Centre Jardin Serres Magog.

If you thought they would stop there, you were wrong! In 2016, Marie-Claude and Michel became the new owners of production greenhouses in St-Edouard to meet the constant demand from the company and its customers.

Over the years and with the continuous expansion of Vivaces Marie Michel, Marie-Claude and Michel's children are slowly taking over, bringing their knowledge, hard work, and entrepreneurial spirit to the company. The children will help the company achieve and even surpass its goals with their incomparable work ethic and their thirst to see Vivaces Marie Michel grow a little more each day. The third generation is becoming increasingly involved in the company's success.

To date, we produce more than 1200 varieties of perennial flowers, annuals, vegetables, herbs, and small fruits of a quality that has won over the most demanding individuals and professionals. Each year we add about fifty new species to meet customer demand and stay up-to-date by incorporating new products. With over thirty years of experience and constant development, Vivaces Marie Michel delivers its products to southern and eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

With now more than 145 employees and 640,000 square feet of heated greenhouses, as well as customers in 4 Canadian provinces, the expansion of Vivaces Marie Michel continues day after day.