Kraft Heinz Canada expanding in Greater Montréal: When ketchup becomes a local product
The popular Heinz Ketchup is about to become a made-in-Québec product! Kraft Heinz Canada is finalizing an ambitious project to transfer ketchup production from the United States to Montréal.
This announcement is not only good news for all ketchup lovers who want to buy locally, but it’s also great news for the hundreds of Kraft Heinz workers at the Mont-Royal plant. Setting up this new production chain, at a cost of $17 million, would ultimately create 30 permanent jobs, while maintaining nearly 750 jobs. Production capacity at the plant is quite impressive. Over 100 million pounds of ketchup are expected to be produced in the first two years of operation.
Kraft Heinz Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz Company, already produces a number of products in the region such as butter, cheese, and dry and condensed dairy products. These products can be easily found in supermarkets and grocery stores under iconic brands such as Cheez Whiz, Kraft, Miracle Whip, Philadelphia, Singles and Velveeta. The Kraft Heinz Company is the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest food and beverage company in the world.
“Kraft Heinz Canada, a key agri-food player in Greater Montréal, already has several hundred employees in the area. With this new production chain, the company is taking concrete action to increase local production and secure its growth in Montréal. This decision clearly shows how foreign subsidiaries also play a role in promoting and boosting the buy-local trend,” says Stéphane Paquet, President and CEO of Montréal International.
This project was made possible with financial assistance from the Government of Québec through its ESSOR program. Heinz was given a $2-million loan to set up this new production chain.
