Toronto’s artisanal bakeries are in for some competition.

Visitors to last fall’s Gourmet Wine and Cheese show might remember having samples of some tasty breads from a company from Montreal called Première Moisson. Run by company president Liliane Colpron and her three children, Première Moisson opened in 1992 and now sells over 350,000 loaves of bread each week through 15 of their own bakeshops as well as in supermarkets in Quebec.

Torontonians have been urging Colpron to make her breads available in our city and now they are. Available at Dominion and A&P stores, with plans to expand further in the future, Première Moisson offers a dozen varieties of bread, including three styles of baguette. Ranging in price from $2.69 for the baguettes to $4.69 for the sprouted grain bread made with organic flours, these breads may cost slightly more than people are used to paying for the old loaf of white bread, but they’re definitely worth it.

Our favourite of the selection we tried was the honey, raisin and hazelnut bread. We used this for French toast and also ate it toasted with nutella or with sharp cheddar cheese (growing up, we were always given raisin bread with Cheez Whiz, so I couldn’t resist making a high-end version of my favourite childhood treat). The olive fougasse was another favourite, and didn’t even make it to a plate - we just tore off chunks and ate it plain.

Although not on their regular inventory roster, Première Moisson also does some seasonal loaves for various holidays such as their chocolate orange sourdough at Christmas. Like many Toronto-based bread companies, the Première Moisson loaves are partially cooked then shipped frozen and finished on-site to ensure that each loaf is fresh and tasty.

While we don’t generally cover many supermarket products or items made outside Toronto here at TasteTO, we are suckers for good bread. And the breads from Première Moisson are definitely worth checking out.