Lactalis Canada opens new R&D Centre in Ingleside, Ontario

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Lactalis Canada has officially opened a new Research & Development (R&D) Centre in Ingleside, Ontario, as the dairy company looks to strengthen its product and process innovation capabilities.

Located alongside Lactalis Canada’s cheese processing plant in Ingleside, the new facility features pilot-scale equipment and dedicated testing and evaluation areas. The centre will support the development and refinement of cheese products and manufacturing technologies, with the aim of accelerating the path from concept to commercialisation.

The R&D centre is expected to become a global Lactalis Group centre of expertise for cheddar cheese. According to Lactalis Canada, its capabilities will support innovation beyond the Ingleside site, with developments extending across the company’s wider manufacturing and R&D network.

Sandra Senez, vice president of research & development, North America, said locating R&D capabilities closer to industrial manufacturing would allow teams to develop, test and refine products and technologies more efficiently.

The facility was officially inaugurated on 20 October 2026 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and facility tour attended by Lactalis Canada executives, government representatives and industry stakeholders.

The new centre forms part of Lactalis Canada’s broader investment in its Canadian operations. Since 2018, the company said it has completed four strategic acquisitions and invested more than C$900 million (approx USD $642.26 million) in manufacturing, distribution and transformation initiatives across the country.

Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Lactalis Canada, said the R&D centre represents another investment in the country’s dairy and food manufacturing sectors.

The facility also builds on Lactalis Canada’s existing presence in Eastern Ontario and its expertise in cheese production.

Lactalis Canada is part of France-based Lactalis Group and operates more than 30 sites across Canada, including 19 manufacturing facilities. The company employs more than 4,500 people and produces products across its portfolio of dairy brands.

The new Ingleside facility is intended to bring R&D and manufacturing teams closer together, enabling Lactalis Canada to trial products and processes at pilot scale before moving them towards commercial production.