The Beauce

The Beauce, maple country!

The Beauce, commonly known as “Maple Country,” claims the greatest concentration of sugar maples (acer saccharum) and sugar shacks in Quebec province (2600 sugar bushes in operation). Nearly 20% of the world’s supply of maple syrup is produced here in an area of less than 3750 square kilometres. In the Beauce, the farming tradition is alive and well, and the passion for maple syrup and products is vibrant and widespread.

The Beauce belongs to the large Chaudière-Appalaches region and Beaucerons are known for their entrepreneurial spirit, their mutual support and their ingenuity. They have built a realm in the centre of the Appalachians, its rhythm dictated by the Chaudière River with its spectacular and destructive spring floodwaters.

The history of the Beauce is rich and varied, all the more so because the Chaudière Valley represents the second oldest cradle of colonization in Quebec, after the St. Lawrence River corridor! The Beauce welcomed its first settlers as early as 1737.

The derivation of the name “Beauce” leads back to the founding of Quebec City in 1608; it is attributed to Samuel de Champlain himself. He nursed high hopes for the new capital. In fact, his wish was for Quebec to replace Paris! For this reason, he is said to have bestowed on the region to the south of this future metropolis the same name as that of the region lying south of Paris. The two Beauces also have, as a feature in common, arable land of outstanding quality. So that’s how story goes!