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Canadian pork and poultry producer Olymel has inaugurated its new CAD 142 million (approx. $100.5m) integrated processing plant in Trois-Rivières, marking the completion of one of the largest modernisation projects in its history.
The upgraded plant will now have an annual production capacity of 50 million kg, a fourfold increase of its original capacity. Olymel aims to boost its efficiency through the expansion, with the plant now handling pork and poultry processing, slicing and packaging all under one roof.
In addition to La Fernandière sausages and hams (whole and sliced), the facility now produces the majority of Olymel’s deli meats. It has been expanded from 51,700 square feet to 137,200 square feet, nearly 2.5 times its original size.
Advanced technologies integrated as part of the expansion include automation and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as energy efficiency technologies. Full implementation of new equipment and processes is designed to cut resource use and the site’s environmental footprint, aligning with the company’s ambitions to reduce operations-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030.
This includes a new industrial battery system that stores energy when demand is low and releases it when demand is high. Claimed to be an industry-first in Canada, the system will reduce strain on the Hydro-Québec power grid. Meanwhile, the upgraded site also features a focus on water-based over air-based cooking, heat recovery, closed-loop water management and reduced transportation.
The plant began phasing in the first new production lines last May, with the investment previously announced in June 2025. Roughly 100 jobs have been created as part of the expansion, bringing the plant’s total workforce to approximately 400 employees.
