La Ferme d’Achille

La Ferme d’Achille & Sea Buckthorn: A Prickly Pair

Samuel Saint-Germain and his partner Carolyne Julien embarked on an ambitious journey to start an agrifood business based on sea buckthorn. This prickly orange-berried shrub caught Samuel’s attention during his extensive forestry studies. At the time, this fruit, native to Northern Latitudes, was virtually unheard of in North America—but Samuel and Carolyne were going to change that.

In 2007, Samuel and Carolyne acquired lush agricultural fields in St. Ubalde near Quebec City—perfect for planting a rolling sea of sea buckthorn bushes.

Six years later, Samuel and Carolyne harvested their first crop. The pair created a delicious sparkling beverage squeezed from the juice and pulp of the entire sea buckthorn berry. With a touch of sweet maple syrup, the refreshing L’Argouille was born.

“It is a product made with a minimal number of local ingredients, is organic, and of very high quality.”

After the success of their flagship L’Argouille, Samuel and Carolyne began blending sea buckthorn with other ingredients like strawberry, basil, juniper, lime, and ginger. This vitamin-rich Quebecois "lemonade" rose to popularity and introduced sea buckthorn to an entirely new audience.

The Story of Delmosa & La Ferme d’Achille

Following the discovery of Argouille at the Atwater Market in Montreal, Bruce visited the La Ferme d’Achille farm. Curiosity fully piqued, he wanted to learn more about this bubbly amber-colored beverage.

Samuel and Carolyne saw the potential of a great business-partner relationship based on their shared passion for exquisite fruit and hand-crafted beverages. Soon, Delmosa became the sole importer of Argouille in the United States—making highly nutritious and delicious sea buckthorn juice more accessible for all Americans to enjoy.