About

In the 1980s, Noëlla Fortin, a Quebecer originally from Beauce, discovered the benefits of live brewer’s yeast. She noticed positive changes in her health among, other things, a boost of energy. Enthusiastic about this exceptional product, she decided at the age of 62 to create a company : Les Entreprises Fortin-Veilleux in order to put this product from overseas on the Quebec market.

Mother of six children, Noëlla Fortin was a dynamic, rigorous and hardworking and had a flair for business, not to mention that she was good at sales. She started her business with very little means. Being convinced of the benefits of this product herself, she easily persuaded her customers, in this case the owners of natural stores to buy this product. At that time, the natural store market was less developed than today. Despite everything, Noëlla Fortin has managed to increase her turnover over the years by creating demand for her products. What is remarkable about this woman is at the very beginning, she made the deliveries herself. No obstacle could prevent the company from expanding its distribution network. This strong-willed woman was an example of limitless courage.

Two of his children, Martine and Charles, became involved in her business, which allowed it to take off. Alongside his studies in literature, Martine took care of travelling the roads in Quebec and visiting food stores natural with the aim of stimulating sales until the day she received a job offer in the publishing world and took a pause from the company for a period of six years. Charles, for his part, took over the company by purchasing and restructuring it.

Charles Veilleux, the youngest of the family, was a creator and his curiosity for natural products and above all the yeast led him to travel to Canada, the United States and Europe. He had the opportunity to visit several companies in his sector of activity and leaders in the field. He used his acquired knowledge to design new natural products. He participated in the founding of a manufacturing company. He was among the first to import spirulina, standardized medicinal plant extracts, into Quebec in addition to having organized seminars on essential oils in the late 80s. By buying his mother’s company, he was for more than 35 years at the head of a natural products company specializing in HEALTHY YEAST.

His passion for yeast was great, he never stopped doing in-depth research in this area and improving the quality of his products. He created a new formula for living brewer’s yeast. He has put on the market therapeutic products based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He has also created a whole range of delicious nutritional yeasts with varied nutritional characteristics, including the first allergen-free Organic Nutritional Yeast. We could also find among this range of yeasts :

  • Nutritional B12 which helps prevent vitamin B12 deficiency in addition to participating in metabolizing carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
  • Nutritional B12+D2 which is particularly suitable for people living in Nordic countries.

His participation in various health fairs on a regular basis for several years has enabled him to inform the great public on what nutritional yeast, which comes from a unicellular microorganism, is and whose scientific name is Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Charles Veilleux also given hundreds of training courses on the benefits of yeast to employees of various health food stores. He is the author of a book entitled: “Yeast Health” which he published on his own. His sister, Martine, with whom he had a great bond, always supported him in his various projects and achievements linked to his business, although she devoted much of her time to her own business. When he was away travelling, Martine took care of the lighthouse, knowing the workings of the company perfectly. Occasionally, she participated in the health fair he organized and in various tasks such as reviewing label texts, pamphlets, creation of content for a magazine and website.

On December 14, 2020, Mr. Charles Veilleux passed a way from a heart attack. His sudden death was a great shock for his family and friends. Unfortunately, his company was dissolved, and it therefore seems legitimate today to preserve the memory of all the work he accomplished as a specialist and pioneer in the field of yeast, and to preserve his legacy. We will always be grateful to him !