FAMILY

It is during our youth that our ideas take shape.

Originally from Gatineau, Pierre Mantha comes from a modest family of three children, of whom he is the eldest. Raised by his resilient and determined single-parent mother, a secretary in a secondary school, Pierre was marked by a youth where family financial insecurity was omnipresent.

His father, owner of a mechanical workshop specializing in the repair of heavy trucks and himself a mechanic, offered his eldest son his first job as a teenager. This experience forged Pierre's character in addition to contributing to the development of his solid work ethic and his remarkable dynamism. It was also by working long hours that Pierre learned the basics of the trade and became an experienced mechanic.

In addition to the passion for mechanics that Pierre shares with his father, they are passionate about car racing. Pierre built several modified racing cars which he drove on various circuits in Quebec and Ontario.

It is from this experience that his passion for the design, development and implementation of large-scale projects of all kinds was born.

AMBITION

After working as a mechanic for a few years, Pierre felt the need for greater fulfillment, so at the age of eighteen, he began a new job with a truck rental company in Gatineau. It only took him a few years to climb the ladder and manage a rental inventory of more than 100 trucks.

This job was a big source of motivation for Pierre, as it allowed him to take on a greater level of responsibility and gain more experience. He was proud of his accomplishments.

ENTREPRENEUR DESPITE HIMSELF

One day, he learned that the company he worked for was bankrupt. Immediately, an acquaintance encouraged him to start his own business by offering to help him financially. Although entrepreneurship was not part of his plans at this stage of his life, Pierre was persuaded to take up the challenge. He therefore opened his first truck rental business with the help of this investor, who is now a close friend.

SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES

Five years later, his rental business continued to grow, to the point that he needed to expand and increase the number of mechanics he employed. He purchased his father’s land and commercial building, and transformed the building by adding a showroom and six industrial work bays. This marked his debut as an entrepreneur.

This investment provided a better location for his growing inventory of trucks and allowed him to offer all businesses in the region complete mechanical maintenance services.

Shortly after this purchase, the Hino truck company, a division of Toyota, approached him to become a distributor in the Outaouais region. This time, Pierre seized the business opportunity without hesitation.

He now owns three Hino dealerships and steps are underway to purchase a fourth. Proof that when we put our energies in the right place and stay the course, our projects can only grow.

A JOURNEY THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY

Entrepreneurs are constantly confronted with a range of emotions. At times, they are at the top of their game, they build, they find solutions to complex problems, they reach new heights, they live the dream. At other times, they are alone at the top facing all the challenges that entrepreneurship puts in their way. But one thing is certain, and that is that every entrepreneur has, at one time or another, to deal with extremely high levels of stress and pressure.

Following an unfortunate event that led to the departure of his right-hand man at Hino, Pierre felt depressed and decided to take a well-deserved vacation. Accompanied by his spouse, he left for Colombia, where she was born. During this trip, conversations lead to the suggestion that he should start a distillery and make vodka. Pierre didn’t know the first thing about distilleries, but he was told that the two key ingredients of a good vodka, or any spirit, are water and corn grains. He then thought to himself that in Quebec we have one of the best waters in the world and that
our nutrient-rich soils produce high-quality corn. The seed was planted…

Entrepreneurs often don't allow themselves much time for vacations or just to get out of their work environment. Yet it is often in contexts where we least expect it that the best ideas are born.

WHY LIMIT YOURSELF TO THINKING SMALL WHEN YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS

After this memorable trip in 2016, Pierre began to study the world of the distillery to better understand what the market was, what distillation consisted of, what equipment was required, who the players were, and more.

When Pierre talked about his distillery project to his entourage, everyone told him that he was crazy and that his project was doomed to fail. But with a good dose of audacity, madness and work, Pierre proved to them that everyone can go after their dreams and carry out their wildest projects.

Gatineau's first distillery was to be a 10,000 ft2 project; it is now 30,000 ft2 and its products are distributed in every SAQ in the Quebec region.