Multimillion dollar investment will be spread out over four years
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Gay Lea Foods announced it will complete what the company calls a “significant investment” into the Canadian dairy industry over a four year period.
On Wednesday the company said it’ll invest a total of $140 million to build new facilities and expand its current operations.
It appears projects will be completed in multiple phases.
The first phase will begin in early 2017 with a $60 million expansion plan in Teeswater, Ontario, which is home to Canada’s oldest creamery.
The plan also includes a $3 million investment to build a Research & Development Centre of Excellence in Hamilton. The lab will act as a connection between industry and consumers.
“Dairy Farmers of Ontario congratulates and supports Gay Lea Foods in their continued commitment to growing Ontario dairy, through the construction of new, state-of-the-art processing capacity and R&D Centre, to expand markets for Canadian dairy products and ingredients,” Ralph Dietrich, chair of Dairy Farmers of Ontario, said in a statement.
Also part of phase one is a planned upgrade and expansion of facilities in the Toronto area.
Gay Lea Foods officials say these investments will help put Canadian dairy farmers on the frontlines of industry innovation.
“As a dairy farmer and co-operative member owner, I am excited that Gay Lea Foods is driving growth through innovation and the development of new markets that will increase demand for milk from Canadian dairy farms,” Steve Dolson, chair of Gay Lea Foods, said in a release. “I am also proud that Gay Lea Foods is once again leading the way by demonstrating that rural Ontario is capable of world class innovation and food manufacturing.”