expansion Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

Olymel to ramp up processing at Quebec poultry plant

St-Damase expansion work to take about a year

Olymel plans to bring more of its poultry further-processing in-house with a $31.5 million expansion at one of its major slaughter and cutting plants in Quebec’s Monteregie. The meat packing arm of Quebec’s Sollio Co-operative Group announced Monday it had started work that day on a 35,200-square foot plant expansion at St-Damase, about 50 km […] Read more

Crops

Canadian cannabis retailers poised to merge

High Tide, Meta Growth to create biggest weed retailer

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News August 22, 2020

Two major Canadian cannabis sellers are poised to create the largest pot retailer in the country by revenue. Calgary retailer High Tide Inc., which operates the Canna Cabana chain of stores in three provinces, announced a merger deal Friday to take up Toronto-based Meta Growth Corp., which runs the Meta Cannabis and NewLeaf Cannabis chains. […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

Cannabis industry readies for M+A after COVID-19 boosts weed demand

Companies betting on U.S. market growth after election

By Shariq Khan, GFM Network News August 11, 2020

Reuters — After nearly a year of next-to-no dealmaking, cannabis companies are gearing up for mergers and acquisitions (M+A) as realistic stock valuations and the prospect of U.S. legalization attract buyers to a sector that has been decimated by oversupply and other issues, executives and investors say. Profitable cannabis companies want to buy their way […] Read more

Canola, Crops, Peas

Plant protein processor backed for expansion

Lenders arrange up to $85 million for Merit Functional Foods

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News May 29, 2020

The money has been lined up to fund a major expansion for a Winnipeg pea and canola protein processing plant that’s still being built. Merit Functional Foods Corp. announced May 4 it has secured a debt financing package of up to $85 million from “a syndicate of lenders” including Export Development Canada, Farm Credit Canada […] Read more

General, Markets

Sobeys parent to buy fresh-food grocer Farm Boy

By GFM Staff September 24, 2018

The owner of the Sobeys and Canada Safeway chains has a deal in place to buy southern Ontario grocery retailer Farm Boy, a well known patron of the region’s producers. In a deal still subject to review by the federal Competition Bureau, Empire Co. announced Monday it will pay $800 million for the grocery chain, […] Read more

General, Reuters

Tim Hortons to enter China

By Karan Nagarkatti, Nichola Saminather July 11, 2018

Reuters — Canadian coffee-and-donut chain Tim Hortons will open 1,500 outlets in China over the next decade, capitalizing on a growing cafe culture in the world’s second-largest economy, the chain’s parent Restaurant Brands International said on Wednesday. Restaurant Brands shares rose almost three per cent after the company announced the Tim Hortons move into China […] Read more

Crops

Ontario backs Mondelez’s Toronto bakery expansion

By Alberta Farmer Staff April 19, 2018

One of the world’s biggest snack food companies is up for an eight-figure investment from the Ontario government to boost production at its Toronto plant. The province on Monday announced the Mondelez Canada bakery in East York will get up to $22.6 million from the Jobs and Prosperity Fund, by way of that program’s Food […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Nestle to spread out at London ice cream plant

By Alberta Farmer Staff March 2, 2018

A multi-phase overhaul at Nestle Canada’s southwestern Ontario ice cream factory is moving further ahead with a plant expansion. The company’s London, Ont. ice cream plant, which has operated since 1966 and supplies brands such as Haagen-Dazs, Drumstick, Parlour and Skinny Cow for all of Canada, is in the midst of a four-phase, $51.5 million […] Read more

Crops, Potatoes

Simplot to supersize Portage la Prairie fry plant

By Alberta Farmer Staff February 15, 2018

U.S. agrifood giant J.R. Simplot plans to bulk up its potato processing footprint in southern Manitoba with a $460 million plant expansion. The company and the provincial government on Wednesday announced construction will begin this spring on a 280,000-square foot expansion at its 180,000-square foot french fry processing plant at Portage la Prairie. The expansion, […] Read more

Hogs, Livestock

Olymel to expand Quebec sausage plant

By Alberta Farmer Staff July 24, 2017

Quebec meat packing firm Olymel is set to double the production space at the La Fernandiere sausage plant it bought last year at Trois-Rivieres. The company, an arm of major agrifood co-operative La Coop federee, announced plans to spend $8.1 million to double the plant’s area to over 45,000 square feet, setting up more space […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat hit two-week lows on COVID-19 fears

U.S. lifts federal protections for gray wolf

Feed weekly outlook: Prices plateauing

GFM Network News