Olymel to double the size of Quebec plant

Trois-Rivières, Que. – Olymel LP is doubling the size of one of its plants to increase production and warehousing space.

In a statement, the company announced that it’s investing $8.1 million in its La Fernandière plant. “The plant’s surface area will be doubled from 24,000 sq. ft. to more than 45,000 sq. ft.,” says the statement.

Renovations to the plant have already started, says the company, and should be complete by this December. There likely won’t be any disruptions to the plant’s current operations.

The La Fernandière plant acquired the land adjacent in order to expand, says the statement. The expansion includes re-configuring Olymel’s four current production lines, adding a fifth line and creating new space, such as a 500-pallet storage room for frozen products, and it will create additional storage areas for raw and packing materials. The company also plans to enlarge its receiving and shipping areas, and relocate the cafeteria and employee services.

The La Fernandière plant “produces and markets the La Fernandière brand of sausages as well as fresh and breakfast sausages for Olymel, Lafleur and a number of private brands,” says the statement. The plant is also scheduled to start making meatloaf again, which the company had discontinued.

Expanding the plant will allow the company to “consolidate 200 jobs while bringing the plant’s yearly production capacity from 14 to nearly 20 million kg,” says the statement.

“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,” says Réjean Nadeau, Olymel’s CEO.

“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.”

Olymel acquired La Fernandière in June 2016 and since that time has increased the number of employees from 80 to more than 200.