Olymel invests $10M into poultry processing plant expansion

May 10, 2016 – Olymel says it plans to expand its primary poultry processing plant in St-Damase, Que., which includes the installation of an air chilling room.

The $10 million investment will help boost the plant’s production capacity, says the company, enabling it to “better serve its clientele, including the rotisserie sector and the retail distribution sector.” As well, the plant will enjoy more flexibility, since it will acquire a chicken air chilling system while retaining the current water cooling process.

Ten new jobs are expected to be created as a result of the new production component.

“This major investment in our St-Damase plant reflects the dynamism of the poultry sector. Our company is equipping itself to better meet demand from its customers by boosting its production capacity, which also benefits the entire poultry sector in Quebec. This new investment in St-Damase and projects elsewhere in the poultry sector, both completed and planned, will also help to consolidate our presence on the markets, while generating important spinoffs for poultry producers,” said Olymel president and CEO Réjean Nadeau.

The expansion work, which will begin around May 15, will add 15,000 sq. ft. to the rue Principale plant in St. Damase, bringing its total area to more than 95,000 square feet. The facility employs more than 350 employees on two shifts. The expansion should be completed in September.

This investment by Olymel in the poultry sector is in addition to a $10 million investment the firm made in the poultry further processing plant at Ste-Rosalie, Que., in 2015. With that investment, Olymel added a third cooking line, which increased the volume of cooked chicken products manufactured there by 40 per cent, it says.

The company employs close to 10,000 persons, including more than 7,000 in Quebec, and has large facilities in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Olymel exports nearly a third of its total sales, mainly to the United States, Japan and Australia.