Finance committee  I'm focusing exclusively on the local market. Our company has no plans to expand abroad or outside our local area. We're still a small company. We want to grow and do more. However, we aren't looking to send an enormous amount of product outside our area. We have a number of products to develop for Quebec, because not much is done with maple wine.

Finance committee  Yes. That's absolutely right. Two weeks ago, I hosted a group of French people who work at the Bocuse restaurant. All the members of this family are restaurant owners and involved in their community. They contacted us and came to our place on a Saturday morning to visit the farm, discover a maple beverage that they didn't know about and that isn't made in other places and taste our outstanding maple products straight from the vats.

Finance committee  That's exactly right.

Finance committee  No. Absolutely not.

Finance committee  That's right.

Finance committee  Absolutely. We produce even less than cider producers, and we're a very small industry. In terms of international competition, we're a very small player on the world stage. We're at the bottom of the list of all these producers when it comes to volume and revenue. So, yes, we think that there's an inequity.

Finance committee  Yes. That's right.

Finance committee  As entrepreneurs, we're creative people. We're always thinking of new products to develop and offer our customers. Some products may take a bit longer to put on the market, because everything that we produce with maple is new. By the way, your colleague said earlier that he had never heard of the alcoholic product known as maple wine.

Finance committee  Yes. I can certainly tell you about them. We submitted a letter of support signed by Quebec cider and mead producers, who fully support our efforts. They can see that we're in much the same situation as they were two years ago. They hope that we'll prevail in this matter.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and distinguished members of the committee. I want to thank you for the invitation to appear before you today. My name is Nicholas Baron and I am the vice-president of the Association of Acers Producers of Quebec, the AAPQ. I’m also the co-owner of Domaine du Cap, located in Acton Vale, in Quebec.