A $15 million expansion was announced Wednesday to the Richardsons canola oil processing plant in Lethbridge, along with construction of a $1.5 million lab and pilot plant.
In a company news release, Richardson International Ltd. said the expansion recognizes increasing consumer demand for healthier food products.
The Lethbridge packaging plant will become 33,000 sq. feet larger to increase warehouse space and bulk oil storage. The expansion also involves full automation of the oil receiving and blending process, said the new release.
John Haen, vice-president of Richardson Nutrition, formerly known as Canbra Foods Ltd., said business has increased dramatically in recent years.
“By increasing the footprint of our Lethbridge plant and automating the way we do business, we will be able to better serve our customers’ needs today and into the future,” he said.
The new lab and pilot plant is designed to undertake research and development of canola-based products that comply with trans fat legislation in Canada and the United States.
Richardson International, based in Winnipeg, is a privately owned grain and oilseed agribusiness and one of North American’s largest suppliers of canola oil and meal. It has canola processing plants in Lethbridge and Yorkton, Sask.
