Our
story

It was a dream of adventure and a two-week crossing on the Georgic that led Roland and Odette Étienne to Montreal in 1951.

After a difficult start in America, life, encounters and perseverance brought the couple and their young children to the Rosemont district. Thanks to the solidarity of the Basque community living in Montreal, the Étienne couple was able to acquire a bakery with two Mignolet ovens on Marquette Street in 1956. Au Pain Doré was born.

In its early days, the bakery seduced restaurant owners with its golden baguettes and French breads. It was not until 1983 that the first Au Pain Doré store opened in a former garage converted into a business, allowing people in the neighborhood to enjoy the quality of real French bread.

The success of the rue Marquette bakery was such that the quality of Au Pain Doré soon extended from one end of the city to the other, namely rue Saint-Denis in 1991, then downtown, rue Peel, and on Laurier Street in 1992. In 1995, three other stores will be set up on the street, including the one on McGill, the one on Mont-Royal Avenue and the one in Côte-des-Neiges.

The growing demand for breads, pastries, sandwiches, desserts and other delicacies complicates production and the multiple daily deliveries. This is why the Atelier Boulanger rue de Rouen opened its doors in 1997. Bread is made there by hand in ideal conditions, constantly improved by the desire to combine know-how and technology. Proud of its success, the family business, which has the wind in its sails, continues to grow by opening six more stores in Montreal and Laval.

In 2008, Au Pain Doré attracted the attention of Groupe Le Duff, which also specializes in quality bakery under several brands around the world. It is therefore incorporated into the Group, which has the same ambition as the three generations of the Étienne family who have been involved over the years: aiming for excellence and displaying itself as THE reference in terms of traditional bread. French in Montreal.

Since 2013, breads and pastries from the Au Pain Doré brand have gradually made their way into major retailers in Quebec. This new distribution allows a greater number of consumers to discover the experience of artisanal baking thanks to quality products, and this, in the four corners of the province.