In the early 1920s, Quebec’s maple industry was in disarray. A powerful group of business interests controlled the vital wholesale market and offered producers a meager 4¢ or 5¢ a pound for their maple syrup—“take it or leave it.”
To resolve this dilemma, Quebec’s agriculture minister, the Honorable Jos.-Edmond Caron, instructed Cyrille Vaillancourt, head of the ministry’s apiculture and maple syrup department, to find a solution. Working in collaboration with J.-Arthur Paquet, manager of Coopérative Fédérée de Québec, Vaillancourt recruited 17 producers from Saint-Prosper, Saint-Zacharie, Sainte-Rose, Saint-Philibert, Saint-Benjamin, and Sainte-Aurélie to launch a cooperative in 1924 in order to test the viability of the concept.
2000 : During the summer CITADELLE holds a day-long open house to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its founding.
2001 : A new warehouse is built in Plessisville consolidating storage facilities, and providing the cooperative with a state of the art development and processing complex that meets the strictest standards of the industry.
2002 : In January 2002, CFIA (the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) grants HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) certification to CITADELLE’s Shady Maple Farms Ltd. Division in La Guadeloupe (Beauce region).
A new Canadian Maple Delights bistro-boutique opens on June 26 at 84 rue St-Paul in the heart of Old Montreal, a popular tourist area.
The cooperative also launches tertiary production with new products that offer significant growth opportunities on international markets.
2003 : A new product line bearing the Shady Maple Farms Ltd. name is introduced to the market, consisting of a thick syrup, maple butter, and non-crystallizing maple taffy.
2005 : Canadian Maple Delights opens a bistro-boutique in early June at Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
2006 : On May 15, government and municipal officials and business people from the Érable region take part in a ribbon cutting at the cooperative’s new tertiary processing plant, the first of its kind in the maple syrup industry.
CITADELLE also acquires all assets of Les Produits d’Érable Cleary’s, a maple syrup retail operation in Robertsonville catering to the tourist market.
2007 : On June 20, CITADELLE stages a grand opening for its Old Quebec Canadian Maple Delights bistro-boutique and Maple Museum. Located above the retail facility, the innovative museum describes the maple products industry and CITADELLE’s role in it.
At the annual conference of the International Maple Syrup Institute, CITADELLE receives a Gold Medal in the category New Product Development–North American market for its Thick’n’Rich product line.
A second Maple Museum—similar to the one in Old Quebec—opens at the Canadian Maple Delights outlet on rue St. Paul in Montreal.
2008 : On April 23, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognizes the historic significance of maple products: the Citadelle Plessisville processing plant is one of three sites selected to highlight this commemoration.
Canadian Maple Delights relocates its Vancouver bistro-boutique to Water Street in Gastown, a district popular with tourists.
CITADELLE obtains ISO 9001 certification for its tertiary processing plant, which will help expand its markets and maintain a superior level of product quality and control.
2009: CITADELLE acquires Smokey Kettle Inc. in Ontario and La Coulée d'Abbotsford in St-Paul d'Abbotsford, Quebec , two companies specialized in corporate gifts for local and world markets. The acquisitions are part of its growth objectives.
In March Société Coopérative agricole des apiculteurs du Québec merges with CITADELLE.
At the 2009 North American Maple Syrup Council (NAMSC) and International Maple Syrup Institute (IMSI) Annual Meeting, CITADELLE earns the Golden Maple Leaf Award for its bistro-boutique concept, maple museums and tertiary processed products available under the Canadian Maple Delights brand, as part of the Institute's "Promotion and Marketing" theme.
2010: In April 2010, as part of the Salon International de l'Alimentation for the North American market, Agri-Food Export Group Quebec-Canada honoured CITADELLE with the Canada Brand Business Award for 2010.
April 30, 2010, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada unveiled a plaque commemorating the historic importance of maple products in Canada. This plaque will be installed in the Cooperative's head office.
On May, 14, 2010, CITADELLE received the Panthéon de la Performance 2010 award in the "Large Corporation" category from the Bois-Francs / Érable regional Chamber of Commerce.
2011: In May 2011, as part of the Salon international de l'alimentation for the North American market, Agri-Food Export Group Quebec-Canada honoured CITADELLE with the Canadian Export Business Award 2011.
The Citadelle Maple Syrup Producers' Cooperative is adding the transformation of cranberries to its agrifood business repertoire with the acquisition of La Maison Bergevin Inc.
During the last IMSI (International Maple Syrup Institute) meeting, held in October 2011, jointly with the NAMSC (North American Maple Syrup Council), Citadelle was recognized for outstanding innovation with a Golden Maple Leaf Award for its Samara di Acéro line of maple-based personal care products.