This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from Anne Herbin of Grains de Folie in Caraquet.

I HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE I WAS 28 YEARS OLD. I BELIEVE THAT ONE IS BORN AN ENTREPRENEUR. MY INDEPENDENT CHARACTER, MY THIRST FOR ADVENTURE AND MY TASTE FOR RISK WERE DECISIVE IN THIS CHOICE.

Born in France, I didn’t hesitate to move country and leave my career as a pharmacist at the age of 48 to start in the restaurant business. The confinement, supply difficulties and travel restrictions really opened our eyes to the local economy.

We discovered the wealth of crafts and the importance of local production in our region. We refocused on our skills to save the different economic actors of the Peninsula.

Our business has been stimulated by this pandemic and we have developed an online store. The next step is to improve this service, to restart our room rentals and our catering service in the best conditions.

Thank you to our customers who supported us in this ordeal and continue to stand by us. Supporting local businesses has a real economic and ecological impact by promoting short circuits. There has been a real awareness that we are too dependent on external markets. Local businesses have been very inventive, have developed new products and many have exceeded their pre-Covid revenues.