CANADA – McCain Foods Canada, a division of McCain Foods Limited, has unveiled plans of investing an additional CAD12 million (US$9 million) in its Florenceville potato processing facility in New Brunswick, eastern Canada.
The investment will add capacity to the existing line that produces french fries for the company’s food service and retail business and will be completed in two phases, the first starting in August while the second phase will complete the project in early 2020.
This capacity build will require an additional 1000 acres of potatoes from local growers in the community, the world’s leading producer of frozen french fries said.
“McCain french fries continue to be in high demand and we are investing in a strong and sustainable future,” says Danielle Barran, President of McCain Foods Canada.
“Investing in Florenceville, the birthplace of McCain, where we have long-standing relationships with employees, the community and with local potato growers always feels great.”
The investment follows a recent CAD65 million (US$48.79m) investment adding a new potato specialty line to the same production facility in 2017.
The investment further builds on the company’s strategy to expand its operation even beyond its home market.
Last year, McCain acquired 49% stake in Forno de Minas Alimentos SA, maker of a leader in Brazil’s cheese bread market and further expanded its presence in the Brazilian pre-formed potato specialty market with a 70% stake in Serya.
As the international market for potato products becomes attractive, McCain Foods also recently said it is investing US$300 million in its potato processing facility in Othello, Washington, US.
Established in 1957, McCain Foods started its operations in Florenceville with 30 employees and registered sales of C$150,000 (US$77,200) in its first year of business.
Over the years, the company has grown into a global global enterprise with more than 21,000 employees operating out of 53 production facilities in six continents with sales in excess of CAD$9.5 billion ($7.16bn) globally, while remaining Canadian headquartered and family-owned.
