The village of Knowlton has a gained a new business in Le Pantry Knowlton. Le Pantry Knowlton, started by entrepreneurial couple Leila and Benoit, has taken over the space once occupied by La Cyclerie de Knowlton. Leila and Benoit’s mission with their new business venture is to to be there for the local community and to provide the opportunity to local producers and entrepreneurs the opportunity to expand their markets. 

Benoit and Leila moved to Knowlton around two years ago and when the space opened up they decided to take the leap. 

“We saw a need for variety for residents and the people that live in the different areas close by for daily groceries, in a new spot, for different local products, healthy products, so we just decided to jump into it in the fall,” said Leila. 

“We’re also in a big change of life with the pandemic that hit us for the last two years. So, we figured having a little grocery and sharing the good products of the area to connect people was a good way to do so; to be the extended arm of the producers,” added Benoit. 

Le Pantry Knowlton will offer ice cream and a coffee station, but its passion lies in niche produce. 

“We try to limit our importation to 20%. (…) We have exclusivity on a few different products as well that are interesting to discover. We get most of our meat from Saucisson Vaudois, which are in Saint-Brigide. I could go on and on about different kinds of products, but really it’s all little niche products for people to discover because they made us feel good around the table and we want to do the same,” mentioned Benoit. 

Leila and Benoit want to provide local producers the opportunity to expand their point of sales. 

“Should they have a point of sale in Montreal and Quebec City, there’s a huge gap in the middle. So maybe in a couple of places, like Bromont, Magog, or Sherbrooke, they will have those places, but here, in the Eastern Townships, they don’t have a point of sale,” explained Leila. “Either because they have their own jobs and they do this as their passion, or this is their livelihood, and they don’t have time or staff to go on the road and introduce their products to smaller, independent, grocery stores.”

Benoit emphasized that they are open to a variety of different products offered by local residents. 

“I don’t want to go and source in Laval per say. I want someone in the area to come in and propose us some stuff,” he said. 

Once the summer weather makes its way around the corner, Leila and Benoit are hoping to expand what they call their “gossip corner.” They want Le Pantry Knowlton to be more than just a place to shop, but a space where the community can come together.

“In the long term, it’s to serve the community at its best for the people living here, and the weekenders as well, but our priority is to serve the local people. For people to enjoy the terrace when they come along, in the fall I want to add a few seats inside (…) so we can really have the gossip corner that I want,” said Benoit. 

Listen to the full interview below: