ORIGINS OF TRUFFLES IN QUEBEC

The truffle adventure began in the 80s with the arrival of Francesca Marzitelli in Quebec. Now a renowned truffle picker, this woman of Argentinian origin was the first to unearth the delicious and precious Quebec truffle, commonly known as the Appalachian truffle.

It was during his studies in microbiology that Jérôme Quirion, co-owner of Truffes Québec and President of Arborinov, became seriously interested in truffle growing.
During an internship in 2009, he discovered the existence of a dozen indigenous Quebec truffles, including the Appalachian truffle, a local product with strong commercial and gastronomic potential. Jérôme gave up his master’s degree to start researching and developing truffle plants adapted to Quebec’s climate.

Following his discovery, the biologist planted almost 2000 walnut trees on a farm in the Sherbrooke region and called on Francesca Marzitelli’s expertise to obtain the native specimens he needed for his experiments.

After seven years’ work, he and his team finally found the recipe for establishing the symbiosis necessary for Appalachian truffle growth in the roots of truffle trees. A discovery worth its weight in gold!

Since 2015, Truffes Québec and Arborinnov have been working to propel truffle cultivation on Quebec soil. Interested growers can now start their own truffle tree plantations in Quebec, thanks to the advice and expertise of the Truffes Québec team.

November 15, 2019: signing of the first Truffes Québec producer, located in Centre-du-Québec.

June 2020: the first Truffes Québec truffle farm is established: the Les Rabassaires truffle farm in Centre-du-Québec!

Today, Truffes Québec boasts over 35 growers, nearly 45,000 trees sold, some 50 hectares under truffle cultivation, and major partnerships with Myco Mauricie, Kamouraska, Biopterre, UQTR and CRIBIQ. We want to build an economy based on promoting our terroir, the pride of our producers and sharing our home-grown culture.