Olymel to expand Quebec, Ontario poultry plants

La Coop federee’s meat processing arm Olymel plans “major investment” to boost production capacity two of its poultry plants in Eastern Canada.

The company on Tuesday said it would put up $10 million to install an air chilling room at its primary chicken processing plant at St-Damase, just south of St-Hyacinthe in Quebec’s Monteregie.

The rue Principale plant, whose clientele includes the rotisserie and retail distribution sectors, will “enjoy more flexibility” with an air chilling system as well as the water cooling process it already uses.

The addition of an air chilling room is expected to create 10 new jobs at the plant, Olymel said.

Company CEO Rejean Nadeau on Tuesday also telegraphed “another major investment” to be announced soon for its poultry further-processing plant at Brampton, Ont.

“This new investment in St-Damase and projects elsewhere in the poultry sector, both completed and planned, will also help to consolidate our presence on the markets, while generating important spinoffs for poultry producers,” he said.

The St-Damase expansion work is expected to begin around May 15, for completion in September, and “will not affect the normal conduct of the plant’s operations,” Olymel said.

The company, which bills itself as Canada’s No. 1 poultry processing firm by volume, uses the St-Damase plant to supply fresh poultry and poultry cuts to private customers and to feed product to its own further-processing plant at nearby Ste-Rosalie, among others.

The expansion will see the St-Damase plant, which was rebuilt in 1997 after a major fire, built out by about 15,000 feet, to over 95,000. — AGCanada.com Network