St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada-headquartered Olymel L.P. announced on May 9 that C$10 million will be invested to upgrade its primary poultry processing plant at St-Damase in the Montérégie. The facility, which specializes in chicken slaughtering and butchering, will soon have additional production capacity, enabling it to better serve customers in the rotisserie market and retail distribution channels. The operation will have more flexibility, since it will acquire a chicken air chilling system while retaining the current water-cooling process.
“This major investment reflects the dynamism of the poultry sector,” said President and CEO Réjean Nadeau. “We will soon be announcing another major investment at our poultry further processing facility in Brampton, Ontario. In terms of volume, Olymel is now the number one poultry processing company in Canada. This new investment in St-Damase and projects elsewhere in the poultry segment, both completed and planned, will also help to consolidate our presence in the markets, while generating important spinoffs for poultry producers.”
The expansion work, scheduled to begin in mid-May and expected to be completed by September, will add 15,000 square feet to the plant, bringing its total area to over 95,000 square feet. The facility, which employs more than 350 people working in two shifts, was completely rebuilt in 1997 after a major fire caused extensive damage. In addition to supplying private label customers with various cuts of poultry, the factory also supplies Olymel further processing plants, including the facility in nearby Ste-Rosalie.
This latest investment is in addition to a $10 million upgrade made last year at the company’s poultry further processing plant at Ste-Rosalie, when a third cooking line was added to boost output by 40%. Through these investments, Olymel is intensifying its initiatives to add value to house brands including Olymel and Flamingo, while also enhancing business with private label customers.
About Olymel
Ranked as Canada’s leader in the production, processing and distribution of pork products as well as poultry meats, Olymel L.P. is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016. Employing nearly 10,000 people, including more than 7,000 in Quebec, the firm has large facilities in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Approximately a third of its production volume is exported, mainly to the United States, Japan and Australia, in addition to over 65 other countries. Annual sales are on the order of C$3 billion. Serving retail, foodservice and industrial sectors, the company primarily markets its products under the Olymel, Lafleur and Flamingo brand names.
