Ministers announce $5M to help grow Calgary agri-food processors

July 24, 2017, Calgary, Alta. – The federal and provincial governments are partnering to provide nearly $5 million to help five local food processors expand capacity and improve efficiency so they can grow their businesses, including two poultry related agri-food processors.

H. Hein Foods will be receiving funding support  to implement new equipment to improve efficiency, expand capacity to meet increased demand and diversify production for poultry, beef and pork products, and Basha International Foods Inc. will receive two grants, to aid in increasing capacity to debone whole chicken leg meat.

Other agri-food processors in Calgary receiving federal-provincial support include:

• CadCan Marketing & Sales Inc. – to purchase equipment to develop a gluten-free pellet formula for its air-puffed, low-fat and gluten-free snack products.
• Just BioFiber Structural Solutions – to purchase and install a commercial-scale plant to turn hemp stalks into building material.
• Village Brewing Co. Ltd. – to add a canning line and centrifuge to its craft brewery.

Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, and Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Oniel Carlier, made the announcement at Village Brewing Co. who is receiving support to add a new canning line and centrifuge to its craft brewery.

“Agri-business is a key driver of growth in the Canadian economy and a source of well-paying jobs for the middle class. Our government is proud to support these innovative projects that will support Canadian farmers and the broader supply chain through their increased production of value-added agri-food,” Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

These investments help achieve the federal government’s plan to create good jobs in food processing and help food processors develop products that reflect changing market tastes and new opportunities.

In 2016, Alberta’s value-added sector, including food and processing manufacturing sales, was worth $14.6 billion and was the largest manufacturing employer in the province, representing more than 22,400 jobs.

These grants are made through Growing Forward 2 (GF2). GF2 is a federal-provincial-territorial partnership with a mandate to drive an innovative, competitive and profitable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. In the past five years, Growing Forward 2 has invested more than $406 million in Alberta’s agricultural sector.