Yves Gauthier is a third-generation farmer in Timiskaming who played a critical role in saving the Thornloe Cheese factory, an important purchaser of milk produced by area dairy farms. In 2006, then owner Parmalat announced its intention to close the business, alarming local farmers who would have had to ship their milk out of the region at considerable expense. The closure threatened to kill a landmark in the community that dated back to 1940 and provided employment for up to 25 people.
The challenge confronting local farmers intent on saving the business was that Parmalat had no interest in selling it to a competitor, insisting they would only sell it to a farmer’s co-op. With only two months to the deadline set by Parmalat, there wasn’t enough time to start a new co-op, but Yves persuaded Gencor, a co-op specializing in artificial insemination, to acquire the business.
Unable to find a general manager and feeling responsible for persuading Gencor to acquire a business that was losing between $300,000 and $400,000 per year, Yves stepped into the role and rolled up his sleeves.
In this video, he tells us how he turned the business around, doubling sales and generating a small profit, despite knowing nothing about the cheese business and being allergic to milk. “Having skin in the game and being in the trenches every day,” he tells us, “motivates you to be profitable.”
Yves spent nine years running the business, reinventing it as a producer of artisanal cheeses and taking advantage of consumer interest in grass-fed dairy products.
According to Yves, it was always Gencor’s intention to pass Thornloe Cheese on to someone else, so with the operation back on track, the business was sold to the Gay-Lea Foods Co-operative in 2019.
A prominent member of the farming community in Timiskaming, Yves also comments on the increasing use of advanced technology by the region’s dairy farms, the dramatic increase in land prices, the trend toward corporate ownership and the impact of climate change.