McCain Foods announced that it's making a substantial investment in its Coaldale, Alberta facility, doubling the size and output.

The company says that the project is a significant economic boost for the region that will create 260 new jobs, and that the investment is reflective of the company's strong business growth while reconfirming its commitment to food production and agriculture in Canada.

“The development in Alberta marks our largest global investment in our 65-year history, totaling $600 million, while underscoring our commitment to the future of agriculture and innovation in Canada," said Max Koeune, president & chief executive officer, McCain Foods. "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.” 

Aligned with McCain’s sustainability commitments, the company says best practices will be implemented to ensure the facility helps it to continue to work toward its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions across its global operations in half by the end of the decade. The expansion will include wind turbines and solar panels, providing 100% renewable electricity to the Coaldale site. Additionally, renewable biogas generated at the wastewater treatment facility will be maximized and transported to the steam boilers to offset natural gas demands. To further build on sustainability efforts, a water recycling system will be implemented to produce clean potable water to be used in the manufacturing process.

The expansion in Coaldale will create two new state-of-the-art production lines. Once fully operational, the expansion project will add both hourly and salaried employees to work on these lines, more than doubling the workforce at Coaldale to 485. Construction on the expansion is expected to start later this year.

McCain Foods has operated a processing facility in Coaldale since 2000, currently employing 225 people and working with potato farmers across Southern Alberta.