The Olymel executive team has announced an investment of more than $25 million to expand its hog slaughterhouse and butchering facility at St-Esprit in the Lanaudière region. Once completed, this expansion project is expected to create up to 200 new jobs, which will be added to the current staff of 810 employees working at the facility. This major construction project, which will add 35,000 sq. ft. (3250 m2) of space, bringing the total area of the facility to more than 215,000 sq. ft. (20,000 m2), includes the construction of a refrigeration room and reorganization of production tables in order to increase the production volume of value added products. These improvements will also increase the facility's slaughtering capacity from 30,000 to 40 000 hogs weekly.
"This development project at our St-Esprit facility represents a major investment in the hog slaughtering and butchering sectors, and will benefit the entire pork industry in Quebec. Once completed, it will increase our production capabilities significantly and enhance our product offering, in addition to creating new jobs. It will also enable us to better meet the demands of our customers across Canada, as well as worldwide," noted Olymel President and CEO Réjean Nadeau.