What Frédéric Dutil has accomplished this year

In his own way, Frédéric Dutil makes the world a better place. And his commitment to a healthier planet is partly based on... bees.

It must be said that the environment has always been at the heart of Frédéric Dutil's concerns. After completing his master's degree in food science and technology, his interests naturally turned to the combat against climate change. And it's at this moment that he experiences the revelation that will determine the rest of his life: our consumption habits have a major impact on the climate and, unfortunately, they are very difficult to change.

With this in mind and determined to act, this entrepreneur-at-heart hoped to launch a company that would allow him to showcase his ecological values, his creativity and his passion for urban agriculture. His decision soon came: he would become a beekeeper. And his honey - “an eco-responsible sugar,” he says - will be the key ingredient in products created by Apikol, the distillery he later founded in Quebec City's Saint-Roch district.

Vodka, gin, raspberry brandy, all the spirits concocted in the stills of Apikol are distilled from the honey produced by its bees, in the beehives established in Québec, Île d'Orléans and Lac-Saint-Jean, north of Québec.

For Frédéric Dutil, it was only natural to manufacture his products using these tireless workers, since beekeeping is essential for the environment - bees are excellent pollinators - a quality that assumes an perfect niche among the values of the businessman. “The bees have summoned me because their breeding is regenerative. This is agriculture that takes less than it gives,” he explains.

The beekeeper nurtures great ambitions: to be the most eco-responsible distillery on the planet, and to become a reference or benchmark in this field. “In this sense, we are probably the only small distillery in the world to be derived from urban agriculture,” he proudly says.

This observation accords perfectly with his philosophy of life, which can be summed up in a few words: “see too big to achieve just enough”.

With this in mind - and under the impetus of its founding president - Apikol makes a point of recovering the heat generated by distillation. In addition, its bottles are eco-designed, washable and reusable. “Of course, like all private companies, our goal is to make money,” he says. But all our decisions are always under the microscope of our values. Every time our values limit our actions, new opportunities arise for us. We're working long term.”

He also transposes this philosophy into his personal life. “I am raising my family in an environmentally responsible way, so that my children's future will be secure.”

What is Frédéric Dutil most proud of? “It's knowing that this year, once again, my bees and I have made a difference in the community.”

What did you accomplish this year?

This story is part of a series celebrating the meaningful lives people build beyond their finances, focusing on creating a life that makes you proud.

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