How It All Started
I tasted quinoa for the first time during a backpacker trip after my studies. I must admit that it was not love at first sight … this yet unknown little grain served unwashed and simply boiled in water had a rather bitter taste. At the time, I was far from suspecting that quinoa was to become the center of my professional activity.
My name is Martin Bilodeau, president and founder of Cie 2 Ameriks, and here is my story in just a few lines.
After working in the world of financial communications, and after starting a family with my wife Clara, I began to dream of founding my own company and to do it within the values that inspire us. I returned to South America in search of organic and fair trade products. Chocolate and coffee were already present but quinoa was not yet certified fair trade in North America. We managed to obtain certification in Canada and from there launched the product line GoGo Quinoa, organic and fair trade.
The operations began in 2004 with the arrival of the first container and two years later, to solidify our relationships with our business partners and taste the local culture, we decided to settle our little family in La Paz, Bolivia. Back in Montreal seven months later with many projects, memories and a third baby almost to term, we purchased our first equipment for mixing and bagging products locally and hired our first employee.
Today, we are headquartered in a twenty thousand square feet facility in the neighborhood Ville St-Laurent, in Montreal and continue to grow our line by developing and manufacturing products that incorporate local ingredients and fulfill our customers tastes and needs. GoGo Quinoa ™ range now includes more than 40 references organic, gluten free and vegan made from quinoa and other Andean grains and distributed throughout Canada.
2 Ameriks Co. is a manufacturer specializing in Andean grains and superfoods. Our goal is to provide healthy and nutritious products and that the whole family will enjoy and safe for those with allergies or food intolerances. Our list of ingredients is simple, short and at the reading level of a 6 years old child. All the beauty is in the simplicity.
We thrive in making high quality products and our wish is that you enjoy them in confidence, always in good health and with a smile.
Thank you for your interest in us.
www.gogoquinoa.com