NORTH AMERICA – Maple Leaf Foods Inc, a Canadian consumer packaged meats company, has reached an agreement to purchase four pig farms in central Saskatchewan from a group of companies known as Polar Pork.
According to a statement from Marple Leaf Foods, the acquisition includes two sow barns and two nursery barns with the potential to supply approximately 140,000 pigs.
Marple Leaf Foods says that the acquisition will enhance its overall pig supply and substantially increase its pig production capacity in the province.
“This purchase offers us ready access to some of the healthiest hogs in Saskatchewan that will allow us to enhance our deliveries of high-quality pork to customers in Canada and Asia,” said Michael Detlefsen, President of the Maple Leaf Foods Pork Complex.
“Bringing these barns into Maple Leaf Foods aligns with our strategy to pursue growth both domestically and abroad.”
Maple Leaf Foods expects to invest up to CAD27 million (about US$21.82 million) in the barns over time, inclusive of acquisition costs and capital investments to maximize capacity and add further animal care enrichments.
Niagara’s new US$156m bottling facility
Across the border, Niagara Bottling, a family owner manufacturer of private label beverages, has announced that it is investing around US$156 million to open a new production facility in Kansas City, Missouri.
The new 634,000-square-foot plant is expected to initially create nearly 100 jobs, further reinforcing the region’s position as a growing hub for food and beverage logistics in the US.
“This new facility will allow Niagara to produce new beverage products and serve important customers in the Midwest,” said Brian Hess, executive vice president for Niagara Bottling.
“We appreciate the highly competitive and attractive combination of location, infrastructure, logistics and workforce in the Kansas City region,” Hess added.
Earlier in June, the California-based bottling company announced plans to build a US$70 million, 550,000-square-foot beverage manufacturing facility in Middleburg, Virginia.
The company estimates it will create 55 permanent jobs within a year of completing the Middleburg project at average annual wages, excluding benefits, of $40,001 to $40,793, higher than the county average $39,605.
It also says it will make a capital investment of at least US$1 million in tangible personal property.
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