Desjardins
Founders
Alphonse Desjardins, Dorimène Desjardins · Founded 1900 · HQ today: 100 Des Commandeurs Avenue, Lévis, Quebec, Canada
Desjardins was founded by Alphonse Desjardins, Dorimène Desjardins in 1900 in Lévis, Quebec, Canada. It is now led by Guy Cormier.
In 1897, Alphonse Desjardins, a French-Canadian journalist and federal parliamentary shorthand reporter, was deeply disturbed upon learning that a Montreal court had ordered a desperate borrower to pay an exorbitant interest rate exceeding 3,000% on a modest loan of $150. Recognizing that traditional commercial banks refused to serve working-class families and small agricultural producers, Desjardins spent three years researching European cooperative credit systems, including the German Raiffeisen and Schulze-Delitzsch movements and Italian popular banks. On December 6, 1900, Alphonse and his wife Dorimène gathered fellow citizens in Lévis, Quebec, to establish North America's first caisse populaire. The cooperative opened for business on January 23, 1901, in the Desjardins family home, with a humble initial deposit of 10 cents recorded in Dorimène's ledger, sparking a cooperative financial revolution across the continent.
| Founder | Role at founding | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Alphonse Desjardins | Co-Founder and Cooperative Pioneer | — |
| Dorimène Desjardins | Co-Founder and First Managing Administrator | — |
Alphonse Desjardins was a French-Canadian journalist, parliamentary reporter, and social reformer. Troubled by predatory loan sharks charging 3,000% interest on working families, Desjardins researched European credit unions and founded the first caisse populaire in Lévis in 1900, sparking the North American cooperative credit movement.
Dorimène Desjardins was the co-founder and vital operational manager of La Caisse Populaire de Lévis. While Alphonse travelled to document and advocate for the movement, Dorimène managed daily accounting, cash deposits, and ledger administration from their home in Lévis.
Guy Cormier
President and Chief Executive Officer
Alain Leprohon
Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer
Denis Dubois
Executive VP, Wealth Management and Life Insurance
Valérie Lavoie
Executive VP, Property and Casualty Insurance
Desjardins was founded by husband and wife Alphonse Desjardins and Dorimène Desjardins in Lévis, Quebec, in 1900.
A speech in the Canadian House of Commons detailing how an impoverished borrower was charged 3,000% interest on a $150 loan by a predatory money lender.
Compare founding stories, origins, and entrepreneurial journeys
Explore Desjardins
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.