Canadian meat company Olymel invests $6.4m in sausage factory

Canadian meat company Olymel will follow up last week’s investment in its Alberta processing plant by committing CAD 8.1 million ($6.4 million) in its sausage factory in Quebec.

The investment at Olymel’s La Fernandière plant in Trois-Rivières will nearly double the size of the plant – from 24,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet.

Additional space has been earmarked for both production operations and warehousing needs, and the project is expected to be completed by December.

The plant produces sausages for several of the company’s brands – including Olymel, La Fernandière and Lafleur – as well as a number of private labels. The investment will also see the return of meatloaf production to the facility after it was discontinued, with Olymel saying there ‘is still demand’.

The plant’s yearly production capacity will be increase from 14 million kilograms to nearly 20 million kilograms.

Olymel CEO Réjean Nadeau said: “By making this major investment, La Fernandière is giving itself the means to better meet the ever-increasing demand of the sausage market segment. This investment is necessary for us to increase our competitive position and better serve the needs of our clients all across Canada. Our additional space and equipment in a new configuration will make this establishment even more efficient.

“This new investment is also a sign of our confidence in the market’s growth potential. Moreover, this announcement allows us to note that the Mauricie region and the City of Trois-Rivières possess positive assets in terms of labour and services that are capable of sustaining the development of companies such as La Fernandière and Olymel.”

La Fernandière has also acquired a neighbouring piece of land, which will be used to facilitate the expansion plans. The project includes reconfiguring Olymel’s four current production lines, adding a fifth production line, and creating new spaces including a 500-pallet storage room for frozen products and additional storage areas for raw and packing materials.

The receiving and shipping areas will also be enlarged, while the sections housing the cafeteria and employee services will be relocated.

Since Olymel purchased the La Fernandière plant in June 2016, the number of employees in that plant has increased from 80 to over 200, and the company’s investments have reached more than CAD 10 million ($7.9 million) in one year.