Marie-Pier Johnson, a dedicated entrepreneur with deep roots in her region, embodies the spirit of the Côte-Nord. In her role as the new co-owner of the Edgar Café Bar, and as co-owner of the microbrewery La Compagnie, she does everything she can to showcase local products and create quality jobs in Sept-Îles.
Discover her inspiring journey and her commitment to the community, as well as her ambitions for the future.
Local woman makes good
Marie-Pier Johnson, the new co-owner of the Edgar Café Bar, was born and bred in Sept-Îles, and never left. As she puts it, the Côte-Nord is tattooed on her heart, and she will never tire of extolling the beauty of the region, with its winding roads and breathtaking ocean views.
Marie-Pier’s was initially headed for a career in the arts. But a student job taught her the different aspects of running a restaurant, from cooking to waiting tables, administration and management. When she had her children, she decided to stay in the industry, so she could take care of her family.
Given her pride in the region and her desire to promote it, she shifted her career toward tourism, helping develop an outdoor recreation area.
In 2007, she joined Claudine Lejeune’s team at the Edgar Café Bar, which was when this story started.
An institution
Since Claudine Lejeune opened the Edgar Café Bar, or just the Edgar, in 2007, it has been a hub both for locals and visitors to the city. Its mission is to showcase Quebec products and bring a unique concept to Sept-Îles.
At the Edgar, customers can enjoy organic, eco-friendly products from around the province, like beer, cheese and charcuterie, while taking in a sweeping view of the ocean from one of its two terraces. Because when you go to Sept-Îles, you go to admire the sea. Over the years, the café has added a grocery section, allowing customers to take home some of its delicious flavours.
From the moment the business opened its doors in 2007, Marie-Pier, at the time an employee, was on board with its vision. When she was approached to buy the Edgar, she jumped at the chance to keep a business she loved alive and saw it as a golden opportunity to meet the needs of her other entrepreneurial project.
Because for over six years, Marie-Pier has been simultaneously the co-owner of the microbrewery La Compagnie in Sept-Îles, which has received Evol’s support. In addition to the two offers being complementary, she created office spaces at the back of the building where the Edgar is located, a stone’s throw from the microbrewery, allowing the team to better collaborate and develop new business opportunities.
Well-grounded values
When it comes to her businesses, Marie-Pier wants to have as positive an impact as she can. How? Mainly by prioritizing quality jobs. To compete with the region’s mining jobs, which entice people with attractive salaries, she had to differentiate herself by introducing unique initiatives for her teams.
Marie-Pier and her partners jumped into action, coming up with an insurance plan for employees – something uncommon in the restaurant industry – RRSP contributions, and flexible schedules. But that’s not all: they also bought a house to offer employees affordable accommodations, since the cost of living in a remote region can be daunting. Plus, she regularly organizes team-building activities, and her Christmas party, which gets high marks with employees, generates a lot of buzz!
In short, for Marie-Pier, taking care of employees means more than just their salary, and she feels lucky to have such a solid team.
The environment is also one of her priorities. At the Edgar Café Bar, just like at the La Compagnie microbrewery, non-recyclable plastic has no place, and a composting system will be implemented this summer, even though it’s not yet mandatory for area businesses.
Plus, while selling only regional products can be complicated, given the shortage of farms and cheese dairies on the Côte-Nord, Marie-Pier makes every effort to promote local products. And of course, the geographical remoteness generates additional costs and makes it harder to offer customers reasonable prices. But to reduce her environmental footprint and shipping costs, she places large-volume orders, limiting the number of deliveries.
The importance of the right partners
Despite the challenges, Marie-Pier is proud. She’s proud of having created a sense of belonging at the microbrewery, of having taken the reins of the Edgar, and of leaving her mark in Sept-Îles. She is thrilled to offer a welcoming space where people can enjoy themselves, catch up with friends, have business meetings, and even go home with products in hand.
The key to her success? Her ability to surround herself with the right partners, which she considers one of her greatest strengths. This is the advice she would give any entrepreneur: Having the right people around you is essential. She believes you need to have people around you can trust and have the tools you need, such as mentoring, which she recommends for talking through challenges with people who understand.
What’s next?
Marie-Pier is taking things one step at a time. While her main goal is to ensure the Edgar stays in business, she wants to gradually add her own touches and revitalize the business with live music and community initiatives.
Through her businesses, Marie-Pier wants to be fully involved in local life and take an active part in events in the city, such as the summer festival. She also dreams of partnering with other local businesses to launch a business development corporation and come up with concrete projects for the city. Who doesn’t love a gourmet festival or festive decorations for the holidays?
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Marie-Pier and her partners enjoyed the guidance of Myriam Lemieux, regional director for the Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec. With her ability to truly listen, Myriam ensured Marie-Pier felt truly understood and supported in her project. Beyond her attentive ear, Marie-Pier saw in her a sincere desire to progress, supported with a solid commitment throughout the process.
Thanks to the engagement of invaluable partners: Économie Québec, through its agent Investissement Québec, the Government of Canada, National Bank, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Fondaction, Evol has a large envelope to support, through conventional loans, businesses with inclusive, diversified ownership that generate positive social and environmental impacts in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG).
