Agropur Cross-Canada Bicycle Tour
Longueuil, July 2, 2008 – Seven employees of Agropur's Fine Cheese Division arrived this morning in Longueuil, borough of Saint-Hubert, after a cross-Canada bicycle tour for the benefit of Breakfast Clubs of Canada. During their journey they collected over $40,500 in donations to that organization, to which Agropur is adding $70,000. A symbolic cheque for $70,000 was presented to the President of the Québec Breakfast Club, Mr. Daniel Germain, by Agropur's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Pierre Claprood, this morning.
"Agropur is pleased to be the birthplace of such a fine project, undertaken by seven of its employees, and to thus have an opportunity to once again support a cause that is dear to its heart: that of children. Our cyclists have every reason to be proud of themselves; besides undertaking a challenge as a team and excelling, they have helped to improve the quality of life of thousands of schoolchildren in Canada", said Mr. Claprood.
"This cross-country cycling tour turned out to be a very rewarding team experience. By pooling our efforts we have done our bit to help change things. Now we can say: Mission accomplished!" added Mr. Jean Bernier, Vice-President, National Sales, Agropur Fine Cheeses Division, who also participated in this endeavour.
This hardy band of amateur cyclists left Victoria on June 24 and travelled for eight days, by relay, without stopping, day and night, in fair weather or foul, to complete a one-of-a-kind cross-country journey. The Canadian public was invited to contribute to this campaign by making a donation on line at the site www.cyclingforkids.org.
A Major Athletic Challenge
The bicycle relay journey will cover a total distance of almost 5,000 kilometres. As mentioned above, it represents a first for amateur athletes in Canada. The cyclists, including five men and two women, range in age from 40 to 53. They come from British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia. All have been training intensively since last August. In addition to their regular training, they prepared for the upcoming tour by undertaking a warm-up challenge in April: a 1,300-kilometre return trip from Montreal to Toronto.
About Breakfast Clubs of Canada
Founded in 2005, Breakfast Clubs of Canada is a national foundation whose mission is to support school nutrition programs throughout the country by providing them with visibility, promotion and funding. Currently, Breakfast Clubs of Canada sponsors almost 3,000 nutrition programs which allow 360,000 children across Canada to receive a healthy meal to start their day.
About Agropur
Founded in 1938, Agropur Cooperative is a leader in the Canadian dairy industry, with sales of $2.8 billion. It is comprised of 3,783 members, almost 5,000 employees and 26 factories, as well as numerous distribution centres in Canada, the United States and Argentina. Each year, Agropur processes over two-and-a-half billion litres of milk into an impressive array of products, including the Canadian brands Québon, Natrel, Island Farms, Oka, Sealtest and Yoplait.