McCain Foods is making a huge splash in Alberta’s burgeoning potato sector with its largest ever investment.
The recently announced plans will see the Coaldale processing facility double in size for a crop that’s already ripe with expansion possibilities because of the multiple irrigation projects that are on the go.
“The development in Alberta marks our largest global investment in our 65-year history, totalling $600 million while underscoring our commitment to the future of agriculture and innovation in Canada,” Max Koeune, president of McCain Foods, said in a statement.
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“This will fuel continued growth for the business, allowing us to serve key markets further by bringing customers high quality potatoes that begin with our dedicated local farming community.”
The expansion will include wind turbines and solar panels to provide all the facility’s power needs while using biogas for steam boilers.
In addition to doubling the facility’s processing capacity, the plant is expected to see an additional 260 jobs on top of the 225 that currently work there.
Coaldale mayor Jack Van Rijn is calling the announcement a big win for southern Alberta.
“Having a significant employer like McCain’s on Coaldale’s doorstep brings a number of important spinoffs to our community,” he said. “This expansion will benefit our retail and service sectors, supportive industries like trades and manufacturing and our housing developments.”
The expansion will also move forward the economic development goals in southern Alberta, including the development of a food processing corridor between Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.
“The expansion of McCain Foods is the first step of helping to make Highway 3 the premier agri-food processing corridor of the world,” said Van Rijn, who also acknowledged the work of the provincial government and its local MLA, Grant Hunter, in helping to get the deal done.
Van Rijn said the municipal council will be making housing in the community a top priority while supporting efforts by regional partners such as Lethbridge County and the local water commission to ensure the infrastructure is available to facilitate the expansion.
McCain has been operating the Coaldale facility since 2000 and expects to begin the expansion project this year.
