The new facility will allow local producers to meet domestic demand for dairy products, such as butter, which is being shipped from eastern Canada, and increase exports of specialty dairy ingredients for nutritional applications
ABBOTSFORD – A new state-of-the-art milk production plant is coming to the Fraser Valley to help meet growing demand for dairy products.
The Province is contributing as much as $25 million to help Vitalus Nutrition’s expansion to a 143,500-square-foot facility in Abbotsford with construction set to begin in summer 2024 as part of the release of Clean and Competitive: A Blueprint for B.C.’s Industrial Future. This new plant will support milk producers in the region and create as much as 100 additional jobs on site.
The initiative reflects B.C.’s strong food and beverage sector that feeds people in the province and beyond, and government’s commitment to position B.C. as a global and domestic leader in agritech and food security. The Vitalus project will focus on manufacturing highly nutritional products in a responsible way.
“Today’s funding announcement is a significant investment in Vitalus Nutrition in B.C., and it also represents a commitment to the future of dairy farming and the agritech sector in Canada,” said Phil Vanderpol, CEO of Vitalus Nutrition Inc. “Our mission is to continue to unlock the nutritional value of dairy, but first and foremost, B.C. is our home, and we are proud to be able to create a significant number of family-supporting jobs, increase exports and enhance our contribution to the provincial economy.”
The larger manufacturing plant will increase B.C. processing capacity by 50% to a new total of approximately 1.4 billion litres of milk processed in the province annually. The new facility will allow local producers to meet domestic demand for dairy products, such as butter, which is being shipped from eastern Canada, and increase exports of specialty dairy ingredients for nutritional applications. The expanded plant will use many state-of-the-art technologies to ensure that B.C. dairy products meet the exacting standards of quality required for today and the future.
“Most B.C. dairy farms are local, family-run businesses that provide people with quality products they can enjoy with confidence,” said Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “This partnership will create more opportunities for B.C. milk products, more economic growth in our farming communities, and strengthen the food security and food-supply system in B.C. and Canada.”
Clean and Competitive: A Blueprint for B.C.’s Industrial Future lays out the Province’s work to drive new investment, create new jobs and seize new opportunities in growing clean energy and sustainable industries. Leveraging B.C.’s strengths to create good jobs and opportunities in every community will improve quality of life, while strengthening B.C.’s diverse economy today and for future generations.
Vitalus employs approximately 135 people in BC, and when the project is complete, Vitalus is expected to employ more than 230 people.
This new facility will support more than 3,000 indirect jobs, including workers employed on farms and related to supply-chain logistics.
Source: Province of BC News
