Hiram Walker invests $8 million in Windsor facility

Hiram Walker & Sons’ Windsor, Ont. production and bottling facility

Windsor, Ont. – Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. have announced it will invest $8 million in its Windsor production and bottling facility in 2014.

The investment, which includes $1 million in funding from the Ontario government’s Rural Economic Development Program, will allow the distiller to add new product lines and boost production by 230,000 cases of liquor per year.

Hiram Walker, owned by Pernod-Ricard S.A. of Paris, is one of Windsor’s largest employers, with more than 280 employees at the production facility. It is the only “grain to glass” operation in Ontario, and is a centre for new product development for the company.

Corby Spirit and Wine, which is majority owned by Hiram Walker, will transfer production of some of its brands to the Windsor plant by this fall. New equipment at the facility will also allow the company to produce brands in smaller quantities, allowing for greater flexibility for new product innovation.

“We have been a strong part of the Windsor manufacturing community for over 150 years, and this investment is part of our continued commitment to the growth of the company and the region,” says Hiram Walker president Patrick O’Driscoll. “The new production volume will benefit our workforce as we smooth out the variability in seasonal peaks to offer more stable employment, and result in enhanced partnership opportunities for our customers.”