Valérie Lapensée is a fourth-generation member in the family business. Her dream is to continue growing the company founded by her great-grandfather.

Matelas Lapensée—it’s a family affair

In 1902, Eugène Lapensée founded his mattress-manufacturing and furniture upholstery company in a small plant located behind his family home. The business was eventually passed down to his son, Raymond, and then to his grandson Michel, Valérie’s father, who spent his entire savings on moving it to a bigger building. “My father held down four jobs to scrape together the money to grow and further invest in the business,” said Valérie.

From a very young age, Valérie and her brother, Pascal, were involved in discussions regarding the family business. “When we were little, my family would talk about what the company was up to at the dinner table,” noted Valérie. “It’s really a part of me. It’s in my blood.”

Now, it’s her and her brother’s turn to take the reins. “We’re working on several different projects, we’re growing, and we’re opening new locations. It’s very exciting!” she said.

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Sleep—a daily priority

For Valérie, sleeping on a quality mattress has always been a must. “When I was little and we went to hotels, I was always curious about the mattresses. Even when I was 6 or 7, I remember lifting up the sheets to inspect the quality of the mattress,” she explained.

To this day, Valérie makes a good night’s sleep a priority. In fact, she doesn’t drink coffee or eat chocolate in the evening.

"Our name is on the mattress, so we have to make a product we’re proud of."

Valérie’s motivation is her desire to offer customers a quality night’s sleep—she’s well aware of the effect it has on the mind and body. In her opinion, the company’s mission is to help people to enjoy a better night’s sleep.

Dream bigger

Valérie’s dream is to see the family business continue to grow while staying true to its roots.

“Of course, because we’re the fourth generation to work in a family business, there are many things that happened before we joined the adventure, so there’s much of what was already established that we want to protect,” she explained. “But that doesn’t stop us from looking to the future and making sure our family continues to dream big.”

And who knows? Maybe one day there will be a fifth-generation Lapensée keeping the dream alive.