Our Story
Ramo: a unique circular economy model that has been developing green environmental technologies using willows for over 15 years.
Cuttings
Willow plantation
Wastewater treatment
RCW mulch
Noise barriers and fences
– 2006
What if we turned willows into natural oil?
It was on the family land of the Allards, in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, that the idea of using willows to make a difference in the environment was born. Francis Allard, an engineer by training, supported by his father Mario and his partner, Dominic Leclerc, decided in 2006 that they would put their heart, energy, and brainpower into creating an innovative product capable of replacing oil. So, with the project of producing bioenergy, Ramo was born, which was then called Agro-Énergie.
It was on the family land of the Allards, in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, that the idea of using willows to make a difference in the environment was born. 
– 2008
Natural oil is no match, but our willows are proving their ability to survive the elements.
The biofuel derived from willows was immediately beneficial for the environment, but couldn’t compete with oil in terms of price due to the context of the 2008 stock market crash. As a result, our team went back to the drawing board and worked on creating a new environmental technology based on willows, which were already thriving in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan.
– 2010
Souvenir of Francis Allard and Olivier Payette’s appearance on Les Dragons on May 8, 2017.
Use our willows as noise barriers and fences to combat noise and visual pollution
During a trip to Europe, a new beginning was officially initiated within the organization. Since travel often leads to encounters, Francis Allard returned from his journey with a new ally, the company Pilebyg. He also invited Olivier Payette, his childhood friend, to join a new project.
This expanded team thus embarked on the creation of noise barriers and fences aimed at reducing both sound and visual pollution in private yards and large-scale infrastructure projects. The company then became Les Écrans Verts, another name it carried before becoming Ramo.
– 2015
Tackling our raw material losses by creating the WORLD’s best mulch
In the term “sustainable development,” there is the word “development.” At Ramo, we have always been in pursuit of progress. That’s why in 2015, we asked ourselves: “Can we do something with the willow and wood residues produced by our screens?” The answer was affirmative and led to the transformation of our losses into mulch called BRF (Ramial Chipped Wood), a high-quality product now sold in over 50 garden centers in Quebec. This addition achieved three goals: it expanded our expertise, reduced our losses, and decreased our environmental impact.
At Ramo, we have always been in pursuit of progress.
– 2018
Treating wastewater by exploiting the entire growth cycle of our willows
It took about ten years, a lot of experimentation, and a significant number of research hours before the project of treating leachate water with our willows could materialize. With an RBV approach supported by the Polytechnique Montréal, we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of our new technology in a pilot project conducted at the WM (landfill site) in Sainte-Sophie.
This technology, pending patent, now better known as Evaplant, treats different types of effluents and is now present at several sites in the province.
– 2021
Joining forces for growth
Over the years, the company has grown through different entities. So it was time to bring it all together under one roof to be better equipped to cope with the growth that was knocking on our doors. While the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect many sectors, we were on a roll. Indeed, that year our team almost doubled, and it was then that the name Ramo took hold in reference to Ramo’s branches.
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– 2022
Our willows take root in Abitibi and help mine soils
The year 2022 was marked by the acquisition of 240 hectares of marginal farmland in La Corne, Abitibi. Nous sommes devenus propriétaires de ce vaste espace afin de pouvoir y accueillir une pépinière de saules.
Le projet, qui se poursuit actuellement, consiste à mettre en place plusieurs plantations de saules à proximité des mines dans le but de produire du bois raméal fragmenté (BRF) qui stimulera une revégétalisation durable venant amoindrir les effets négatifs des haldes minières. Dans le cadre de cette même initiative, nous utiliserons aussi notre technologie Evaplant afin de permettre également un traitement plus efficace des eaux usées générées par les activités minières.
– The future
Cultivating our abundant ideas
