Our Story
hree generations have passed since the opening of Frank Lareau Inc in 1956. Working at the time in the trade and transport of wood chips, François Lareau started, in some Quebec sawmills, bagging dry wood shavings and sawdust. He then developed an effective distribution network for wood shavings under his own brand, Top Bedding, however the product at that time did not always meet the needs of its customers. So, he decided to refocus the company towards manufacturing and created Top Bedding superior wood shavings.
Thus, he opened a wood shavings plant in Berthier-Sur-Mer, Quebec, where wooden planks were being transported, processed and bagged before being shipped throughout North America. As the reputation of Top Bedding grew, the company expanded its fleet of trucks in order to provide outstanding distribution service. Five decades of innovation and development enabled the production of superior quality products and excellent customer services. The Lareau family continues the tradition of excellence created by François Lareau by maintaining the exceptional quality of the Top Bedding brand.
In the early 2000s, the two bagging machines at the Berthier-Sur-Mer factory no longer met the growing demand of Top Bedding products. An ambitious high-tech factory project was launched near the Berthier-Sur-Mer plant. The addition of two Premier Tech machines allowed Frank Lareau Inc. to double its production and gain market shares. The quality standards increased and the Top Bedding brand continued to gain popularity.
In December of 2008, Frank Lareau inc. acquired a dynamic company named Réal Hébert inc., established in Wickham, Quebec in 1966. As the largest bedding retailer in the Quebec market, Hébert inc. owed its success to its commitment to serve its customers and meet their needs.
In early 2009, the Berthier-Sur-Mer facilities produced nonstop and reached new production records of over 90,000 bags per week. Frank Lareau inc. reached the top of the industry, across North America. The growing company had no shortage of challenges, however, as all factories were manufacturing at full capacity. The owners therefore undertook a $5 million project in Richmond, Quebec. The first bag of Top Bedding produced at the new facility occurred in the fall of 2009. In addition of being one of the world’s most technological bagging plants for wood shaving, Top Bedding Richmond allowed increased capacity production of more than 160,000 bags a week.
During the three years following the opening of the Top Bedding plant in Richmond, Frank Lareau inc. acquired GPM Wood Shavings and TGB Wood Shavings. In 2013, the number of bags sold exceeded 7 million bags.
In February 2015, the Lareau group met with the McCrumb family in Michigan. Jessi and Joe McCrumb were considering selling their company. The transaction was concluded in June 2015. JPMccrumb Wood Shavings now belonged to Frank Lareau inc., allowing a growth of its sales by over 10%. Jessi and Joe remain within the company as sales representatives. In addition, they acquired a historical contract with the store chain Family Farm & Home in Michigan. The infrastructure of McCrumb factory in Marion moved from Michigan to Berthier-Sur-Mer in the summer of 2015. By using McCrumb’s equipment, Top Bedding Berthier-Sur-Mer improved the dust free wood shavings recipe and the Top Bedding Quick Pick recipe, all the while increasing the production capacity.
Today the company holds a total of seven bagging machines and in addition to the production of wood shaving bags, have a dozen subcontractors strategically located throughout North America. The truck fleet consists of 35 trucks and 305 trailers. It allows the opportunity to offer unique customer service throughout North America, with our outstanding team of over one hundred employees.