BLUMENORT, Manitoba – Granny’s Poultry, a producer-owned poultry processing company, is launching a C$37 million ($26 million) expansion and renovation of its processing plant. The improvements will enable the co-op to improve plant efficiencies and grow its business.
The governments of Canada and Manitoba granted the company a term loan of C$2.5 million ($1.8 million) in support of the project which will include purchases of new equipment for processing, chilling, packaging and grading poultry, and enhancing production efficiency.
“The expansion and upgrading of our processing facilities will keep Granny’s growing and competitive for years to come,” Granny’s CEO Craig Evans said in a statement. “Investing in state-of-the-art equipment will improve production efficiencies and help us develop new market opportunities for Manitoba poultry.”
Granny’s Poultry is the sole turkey processor in Manitoba, and approximately 500 individuals work for the co-op. Its membership includes 188 producer-member owners who supply the company with hatching eggs, chickens and turkeys. The plant expansion represents an opportunity for up to 148 employees to upgrade their skills over the next two years through job training.
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn said the project would help grow the province’s food processing and poultry sectors. The Manitoba government has a goal of creating a food processing industry valued at C$5.5 billion annual by 2022. The industry currently is currently valued at C$4.95 billion.
