Quebec’s Brome Lake Ducks launches $30M expansion project
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Pekin duck breeder, processor will purchase former Viande Laroche beef plant as it works to double its production
Pekin ducks are one of the world’s most popular breeds of domestic duck. PHOTO: Martin Backert, via Wikimedia Commons
BROME LAKE, Que.—Canadian duck farmer Brome Lake Ducks is launching a $30 million expansion project to retrofit and add floor space at a pair of sites east of Montreal.
The company has announced it will buy a former beef processing plant in Asbestos, Que., once owned by Viande Laroche, to boost its processing capacity, as well as invest in a new hatchery and livestock buildings at its farm facility in Brome Lake, Que. Totalling $30 million, the investment is designed to double the company’s annual production from two million ducks to four million.
“Our new processing plant, will occupy 51,000 square feet and will not only permit to consolidate the leadership of Brome Lake Ducks on its markets, but also ensures its growth and competitiveness by producing the quantities needed to meet the local and international demand,” Claude Trottier, the company’s president and COO said.
The major expansion project will allow the company to nearly double its workforce from approximately 200 employees today to 350 within the next few years. The company plans to hire about 100 new workers in the short term and add 50 more by the time it completes the project.
Shipping its ducks across Canada, as well as to the U.S., Asia and South America, the company said it will work to maintain the quality of its products and the welfare of its animals throughout the expansion project.
“All of our expansion project take into account the highest standards with regards to animal health and welfare, and I can assure you that our new processing plant in Asbestos will not be exception to this rule,” Mario Côté, chair of the company’s board, said.
