Visit Mont Echo at Manger Santé et Vivre Vert!

Don’t miss Manger Santé et Vivre Vert 2012!

Wondering what all the hype is about? Come and see us! This is a unique opportunity to try the products, talk to us, buy products tax free (we pay the tax!) and enter for a chance to win a gift basket worth $75…

Its all happening at Manger Santé et Vivre Vert in Montreal and Quebec City this spring. We can’t wait to see you there!

 

MONTRÉAL – Palais des congrès
March 16.17.18th

BOOTH 718

Friday 11 am to 8 pmSaturday 10 am to 6 pm Sunday 10 am to 5 pm

 

QUÉBEC – Centre des congrès
March 24.25th

BOOTH 415

Saturday 10 am to 6 pm Sunday 10 am to 5 pm

 

For more information about the show, visit http://www.expomangersante.com

For more information about Mont Echo Naturels, visit http://www.mont-echo.com

 

Personal Experiences with Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Skincare I

Wondering if Mont Echo’s Bath and Body products might be good for you? Our 100% natural, Sea Buckthorn-based skin and hair care products are great for all skin types and ages. Over the next few weeks, we’d like to share some personal stories from people of all ages and skin types who’ve tried our products. And if you’ve tried our products, we’d love to hear from you too! Just send us an email at argousier@mont-echo.com

Sex: Female

Age: 32

Skin type: Oily / Combination

Concerns: Breakouts; wrinkles; dry, flakey areas in winter months

As a 32-year-old female with combination skin, breakouts have always been a concern for me. And now, as I creep toward my mid-30s, I’m starting to have to contend with wrinkles too. However, over the past year I’ve developed a simple skincare regime using several of Mont Echo’s Sea Buckthorn skincare products that has really helped me balance my skin and help it look its best.

My two must-have products are definitely Mont Echo’s Soothing Mist and the Oil Serum. In fact, I’m so addicted to them that when my supply starts to run low I get a little panicky until I’m able to restock!

I use both products twice a day. In the morning, I splash my face with cool water and then spritz on the Mist. The Mist has an unusual scent which took some getting used to, but I’ve grown accustomed to it and I appreciate that it’s all natural and unique. I love how it sooths my skin and preps it for the Oil Serum. When my face is still damp from the Mist, I apply a drop of Oil Serum on my forehead, each cheek and chin, and massage into my skin. I love the way my skin feels after—it’s not greasy at all, just soft and hydrated, and I find the Serum makes a great makeup base.

In the evenings before bed, I wash my face with the Crème Cleanser, which I find gentle enough for every day (though once or twice a week I exfoliate since the Sea Buckthorn oils in the Oil Serum seem to increase cellular regeneration, necessitating removal of the dead skin on the surface to prevent breakout and reveal the fresh skin beneath!) and then reapply the Mist and Oil Serum.

I love these two products, and I love what they have done for my often difficult and temperamental 30-something skin!

Mont Echo Naturels Wins Gala Excellence Award!

Mont Echo Naturels has been awarded the Gala Excellence Brome-Missisquoi Award 2011 in the category of Manufacturing (1 – 10 employees) by the Chamber of Commerce of Cowansville and the Region. The award was accepted by Mont Echo Naturels co-founder and CEO Brad Johnson and Mont Echo office and boutique manager Cindy Cleary at the awards banquet at the Chateau Bromont on November 12, 2011.

The Gala Excellence Brome-Missisquoi is a biennial competition recognizing excellence in local business. The competition is comprised of 15 prize categories representing various regional industries and businesses. Nominees in each category were announced in October, and the winners were selected by a grand jury in November.

“We are honored and thrilled to have been recognized by our local business community,” states Johnson. “We pride ourselves on being a community-conscious and locally-oriented company, so winning this award really means a lot to us.”

For more information about Mont Echo Naturels, please visit out website at www.mont-echo.com.

For more information about the Gala Excellence and a full list of the nominees, please visit: http://www.chambre-cowansville.com/gala-excellence/nominees-2011/

Notes from Our Esthetician: Getting the Most from Mont Echo Skincare

To get the best results from your skin care products, you have to know how to use them properly. This is certainly true of our Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn skin care line! To help you get the most out of your Sea Buckthorn skin care, our consulting esthetician, Veronique Picard, has put together some advice on using Sea Buckthorn in your daily regime:

Morning

Cleanse your face with the Creme Cleanser and rinse well with warm water.

Spray Soothing Mist directly on the face, or spritz on a cottonball and apply over face and neck. Allow to air dry briefly.

Combine 2 drops of Oil Serum with 2-3 pumps of Facial Moisturizer and apply to the face with light upward sweeps.

Night

Remove eye makeup and heavy foundations with your preferred makeup remover.

Clean your face with the Creme Cleanser and rinse well with warm water.

Spray Soothing Mist directly on the face, or spritz on a cottonball and apply over face and neck.

Massage 2-3 drops of Oil Serum directly onto problem areas (wrinkles, sun damage, brown spots, scars, etc) while face is still slightly damp.

Apply Facial Moisturizer as necessary.

Exfoliation

Once or twice a week, exfoliate your skin using the Nutritive Mask and Cleanser to reveal radiant new skin:

Mix Mask and Creme Cleanser in an approximately 2:1 ratio.

Apply mixture to face after applying Soothing Mist and allow to dry for 5 (for dry skin) to 10 (for oily skin) minutes, until mask is lightly set and dry enough to roll off using your fingertips without smearing.

Use your fingertips to rub / roll the mask from your face carefully until the mask is completely removed.

Rinse with warm water and apply Soothing Mist, Serum and Moisturizer.

Want to learn more? Visit our website at www.mont-echo.com!

A Taste of the Harvest Festival!

It’s the last weekend of the Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Harvest Festival – don’t miss your opportunity to taste the delicious special Sea Buckthorn menu items offered by the restaurants of Knowlton, available through August 28th!

Le Relais’ table d’hôte has received rave reviews – we especially enjoyed the Brome Lake Duck with Sea Buckthorn glaze, Mussels with Tequila & Sea Buckthorn, and the Pork Tenderloin with Ice Cider & Sea Buckthorn sauce. Star Café has brought back last year’s popular Sea Buckthorn & Goat Cheese bruschetta, while L’Écho des Saveurs has a refreshing Sea Buckthorn smoothie for the last days of summer. The Sea Buckthorn & Chocolate fudge at La Vie Sucrée is a unique sweet treat for chocolate lovers. Diners at Knowlton Marina can taste Sea Buckthorn vinaigrette on their salads dock-side and CafÉ Floral is offering a constantly changing selection of savoury and sweet Sea Buckthorn-inspired dishes all day – including Sea Buckthorn, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato soup – yum!

Le Relais
286 ch Knowlton, Knowlton
Lunch, Dinner; Sea Buckthorn Lunch menu items, Full table d’hôte featuring Sea Buckthorn

Star CafÉ
291a rue Knowlton, Knowlton
Lunch; Goat cheese and sea buckthorn bruschetta

CafÉ Floral
Lakeside, Knowlton
Breakfast, Lunch, Snack ; Muffin, soup, salad, fish, poultry and much more

L’Écho des Saveurs
5 Mont Écho, Lac Brôme
Snack, Lunch; Sea Buckthorn smoothies and lunch menu items

La Vie Sucrée
30 Lakeside, Knowlton
Snack; Chocolate Sea Buckthorn fudge

Knowlton Marina
78 Benoit, Knowlton
Lunch, Dinner; Sea Buckthorn salad dressing

Harvest Festival, Week 1 Highlights!

The 2^nd Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Harvest Festival is well underway and the response has been amazing so far! People have been arriving from all over, excited to try the products, meet the trees and learn something new.

Tours are as usual at the heart of the Festival. Running 4 days a week (Tuesdays, Thursday, Saturdays, Sundays and for large groups by appointment), the tours have been full and lively! Visitors are brought from the Boutique in Knowlton out to a small, private production orchard in picturesque Sutton to learn more about the history, cultivation and uses of Sea Buckthorn. This year we’ve hosted families, potential growers, curious tourists – and even a bride with her wedding party! For a small fee, visitors can even fill a bag with berries and experience a true harvest moment. For all those who are contemplating a tour, please call us at 450.243.5777 to reserve a place and be sure to arrive at the Boutique at 12:45 on the day of your tour. You’ll be given a map and information before departing the parking lot with your guide.

Skin care education is an integral part of everything we do here at Mont Echo, and our in-house esthetician Véronique Picard has been fabulous on her consultation and spa treatment days at the Boutique (Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays). The mini-facial has gotten rave reviews and her consults are always personalized and effective. Véronique is on the floor to speak with customers between 11 and 3 (and later, depending on spa appointments) on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and available for mini-facials at the Boutique by appointment (450-243-5777).

Last, but certainly not least, the restaurants participating in the Festival continue to deliver delicious, inspired Sea Buckthorn dishes to patrons. Just this week, my family and I enjoyed Chocolate Sea Buckthorn Fudge at La Vie Sucree; Sea Buckthorn, Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup and Tortellini with Sea Buckthorn & Ginger at Café Floral; and an array of Sea Buckthorn-inspired specials at Le Relais including Mussels with Tequila & Sea Buckthorn, Salmon with Sea Buckthorn & Goat Cheese, Duck with Sea Buckthorn & Carmelized Onions and Cheesecake with Sea Buckthorn Coulis. Everything was absolutely delicious! We are looking forward to visiting Star Café, Brie & Cie, the Knowlton Marina and L’Echo des Saveurs next!!

Harvest Festival continues at Mont Echo through August 28^th; visit www.festivalmontecho.com for more information.

Harvest Festival 2011: Mont Echo is getting ready!

The 2011 Sea Buckthorn Harvest Festival is almost upon us! The berries on the trees are turning from green to bright orange, the spa room is under construction, we are stocking up on products and local restaurants are experimenting with flavours. We are looking forward to hosting everyone for the Festival from AUgust 13-28 this year in Lac-Brome (Knowlton) and Sutton, Quebec. To get everyone excited, we’re reposting some photos from last year’s event, which was a huge success. Remember to visit www.festivalmontecho.com for details to to sign up for tours and facials ASAP as space is limited!

HARVEST FESTIVAL PHOTO GALLERY

A successful Growers’ Association meeting – and a preview of Harvest Festival 2011??

Mont Echo Naturels hosted the 2011 meeting of the Quebec Sea Buckthorn Grower’s Association (APAQ) on Saturday, July 9. A record crowd of almost 100 people showed up to experience Mont Echo’s Boutique, Interpretive Centre, and affiliated Sea Buckthorn Orchards. The Star Café of Knowlton catered the event with incredible food featuring Mont Echo gourmet products; esthetician Veronique Picard spoke about the amazing benefits of Sea Buckthorn for the skin and gave free consultations to attendees; and Maplehurst Farms – creator of Mont Echo’s gourmet line – designed a stunning Sea Buckthorn cheesecake for dessert. We are pleased to report that the meeting was a huge success and everyone young and old seemed to enjoy themselves enormously.

We hope that you enjoy these photos from the day – they are a preview of what’s to come during Mont Echo’s annual HARVEST FESTIVAL in August this year! You too can receive a Sea Buckthorn skincare consultation or even a facial, enjoy Sea Buckthorn on the menus of almost every restaurant in Knowlton, and tour a working Sea Buckthorn Orchard. Visit www.festivalmontecho.com to learn more about this year’s Harvest Festival events!

Mont Echo Introduces New Line of Gourmet Products

Mont Echo is excited to announce the introduction of our new line of Mont Echo Gourmet Sea Buckthorn products!

The new Mont Echo Gourmet line currently consists of 5 unique and delicious products: Sea Buckthorn Chutney, Sea Buckthorn Salsa, Sea Buckthorn Sauce and Marinade, Sea Buckthorn Vinegar, and Sea Buckthorn Vinaigrette. Several other products are in development and will be introduced later in the summer. The Mont Echo Gourmet line is currently available at the Mont Echo Interpretive Centre and Boutique, located at 70 Lakeside in Knowlton (Lac Brome), Quebec.

The new Mont Echo Gourmet line is produced exclusively for Mont Echo by Knowlton Maplehurst Farms, a local maple farm and bakery. The products are hand-crafted using 100% Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn and Maplehurst’s own locally-made maple syrups and maple sugars. The partnership between Mont Echo and Knowlton Maplehurst is an ideal one, since maple and Sea Buckthorn pair beautifully together.

Mont Echo’s Gourmet products are the perfect way to discover the unique taste of Sea Buckthorn– and you may be surprised to discover that it’s not only delicious, it’s also great for you. This year, Sea Buckthorn was listed in The Globe & Mail as one of the Top Trends in food for 2011, and it’s been featured on several internationally televised programs such as the Doctors and the Dr Oz show.  In fact Dr. Oz recently proclaimed Sea Buckthorn “the new miracle berry,” and revealed new evidence of its abilities to improve your skin and aid in weight loss. Mont Echo’s gourmet products incorporate whole Sea Buckthorn fruit and/or raw juice, both of which contain Dr Oz’s coveted Sea Buckthorn fruit oil.

For more information about Sea Buckthorn or Mont Echo, please visit our website at www.mont-echo.com or contact us at info@mont-echo.com

Spring is here and Mont Echo is nationwide!

Spring seems to have arrived at last out here in the Eastern Townships. We’re not discounting the possibility of additional snow but hopefully what does come won’t stick around. It seems like overnight the grass is green and some of the trees are budding. Daffodils are blooming and the birds are nesting. Of course, spring also means copious amounts of mud and mosquitoes but frankly we’re just thrilled that we can leave the house without 33 layers of jackets, scarves and sweaters.

The Sea Buckthorn orchards have recognized the signs of spring as well and the trees are coming out of their winter dormancy. Now is the time to repair fences that were damaged by heavy snow and wind, to prune the trees, and to smooth fields and prepare for mowing. Mont Echo’s Sea Buckthorn growers use no herbicides, pesticides or hormones in their fields and much work goes into orchard management to make sure that this year’s crop of superfruit is as nutritious and plentiful as possible.

We’re certainly going to need lots of those little berries to make enough product to supply all of Canada with Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn skin care. That’s right, all of Canada! Mont Echo is now in partnership with Natural and Organic product distributor CLM Health Group (www.clmhealth.com). Starting this summer and through the fall, you will start to see Mont Echo in more stores across the country. We’re excited to be working with such a great company and we hope more of our customers will benefit from being able to find Mont Echo products in their local health food store. Mont Echo’s products will continue to be hand-made here in Quebec, right next to our family Sea Buckthorn orchards. We will also continue to use ONLY Canadian-grown fruit. And we continue to be committed to creating the highest quality Sea Buckthorn skin care in Canada.

So, Happy Spring to everyone across the country – and keep an eye out for Mont Echo products in your local health food store!