La Biscuiterie, photo by André Joly
Who knew that Montreal’s history could be so gooey and delicious? Last month, “Viau, des biscuits, une histoire” opened at the Écomusée du fier monde, an exhibition on the east end’s Viau cookie factory — the makers of the famous marshmellow-and-chocolate Whippet — and its impact on Montreal.
Charles Viau, born in in Longueuil, opened his first bakery on Notre Dame St. in 1867. By the time he died in 1898, though, business was good enough that the Viau family started scouting out for a new home, finding it on a parcel of land on Ontario St. in Maisonneuve, where a new cookie factory was built in 1906. The factory became such an integral part of life in the east end of Montreal that the surrounding neighbourhood, just east of Pie IX Blvd., came to be known as Viauville. Even today, it’s a distinct part of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve that’s worth an afternoon of exploration.
As a nice feature in the Gazette explains, the Viau factory was a state-of-the-art, high-tech facility that employed hundreds of people until the early 1970s, when many jobs (like those of the “sauceuses,” who spent their days dipping cookies in chocolate) were replaced by automated machines. Eventually, the Viau family sold their company and the Whippet brand was bought by Dare, and Viauville lost its namesake cookie factory.
Of course, the story doesn’t end there: last year, the factory was converted into a condominium complex called La Biscuiterie. Its residents, apparently, are keen on their building’s history: many were present at the Écomusée exhibition’s vernissage last month.
“Viau, des biscuits, une histoire” runs until March 30th at the Écomusée du fier monde, 2050 Amherst St. (near Ontario). A Canadian Press story on the exhibition has been picked up by newspapers across the country, so the normally-quiet Écomusée should hopefully see a some extra activity. If you haven’t been, the museum itself is worth a visit, housed as it is in an old public bath.