Government of Canada invests in Quebec dairy processor to help expand operations and improve competitiveness
News release
February 11, 2019 – Sherbrooke, Quebec – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
The dairy processing sector plays an important role in Canada’s economy, producing good, high-quality and nutritious products for Canadians across the country. In 2018, the sector employed over 23,000 Canadians and accounted for over $14 billion in manufactured shipments of milk and dairy products. The Government of Canada knows the importance of ensuring the sector remains productive and competitive, and able to respond to new opportunities.
While visiting the Smucker’s Foods of Canada Corp. factory in Sherbrooke, Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, today announced an investment of up to $1.8 million under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund. The funding will allow Smucker’s Foods to invest in upgrades to equipment which will enable them to introduce production of heavy cream, and process new formats of evaporated and condensed-sweetened milk.
This funding is part of a broader $11.7 million investment by Smucker’s Foods to expand the plant, and introduce new, high-performance equipment and production systems.
Quotes
“The Government of Canada is proud to contribute to the modernization and competitiveness of the dairy processing industry, helping it grow and prosper. We are committed to ensuring our world-class dairy processors stay on the cutting edge and continue to meet growing consumer demand for high-quality products while creating well-paying jobs for Canadians.”
- Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay
“With this investment in Sherbrooke, the company who already supplies Canada with Eagle Brand and Carnation products will expand its offering and, with that, increase demand for Canadian milk by almost 4 million tons. This is good news for our dairy farmers!”
- Minister of International Development, Marie-Claude Bibeau
“We are excited to announce this significant investment in our facility, which will help ensure the sustainability of our operations and expand our capabilities. This investment, funded in part by contributions from the Ministry of Agriculture, will support updates to our equipment which will enable our ability to produce new products and increase our demand for domestic milk.”
- Dominique Mathieu, Sherbrooke Plant Manager
Quick facts
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Smucker’s Foods of Canada Corp. is a dairy manufacturer specializing in the manufacture of evaporated and sweetened-condensed milks. The company’s Sherbrooke plant employs 35 people.
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To date, 19 dairy processors have been approved for funding valued at over $21.4 million under the $100 million Dairy Processing Investment Fund, for a wide array of projects in cheese, milk drying, yogurt, cream and butter projects.
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Canada’s dairy sector is also supported by the associated Dairy Farm Investment Program. To date, over 1900 projects have been approved for funding support valued at over $128 million, including over 870 projects and over $49 million in Quebec, in a wide array of projects from small investments in cow comfort equipment to large ones for automated milking systems.
Associated links
Contacts
Katie Hawkins
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
613-773-1059
katie.hawkins@canada.ca
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
aafc.mediarelations-relationsmedias.aac@canada.ca
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