Labatt Breweries expands production capability with $26.6M
by CM staff
Capital investments made from 2019-2023 in Ontario total nearly $80 million.
LONDON — Labatt Breweries of Canada is expanding its production capability by investing $26.6 million directly into its London brewery to fund the addition of a four-tank fermenting cellar and two new packers.
This expansion is a part of Labatt’s commitment to invest in sustainable solutions, building on the brewery’s $52.6 million investment in line upgrades, enhancements and sustainable innovations in 2021.
To enable Labatt to meet growing consumer demand, $13.5 million of the investment will fund the addition of four new tanks for the brewery’s fermenting cellar, increasing the capacity at the London brewhouse by 597K hectoliters per year—equivalent to four new tanks.
Also expanding the brewery’s operational capabilities, $13.09 million will fund two new packaging lines in the brewhouse. This packaging technology uses a sustainable paperboard, enabling products to be packaged with significantly less glue compared to previous models. The lines also improve inspection capabilities in operations to ensure packaging is robust and meets the demands of Canadian consumers.
“Our London brewery is the largest in Labatt’s network, brewing over 40 per cent of the beer we brew for Canadians, and this significant investment boosts the facility’s production capacity and sustainability performance,” said Jeff Ryan, VP Legal & Corporate Affairs, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “With this increased production capacity, Labatt can meet current Canadian consumer demand while also setting us up for future growth.”
Capital investments made from 2019-2023 in Ontario total nearly $80 million, demonstrating Labatt’s ongoing commitment to the province. The upgrades and expansions funded by Labatt’s capital investment program will benefit the brewery and the London community and help make operations more sustainable for years to come.
“The new packaging line at our London brewery will improve the way we package our products from both an environmental and quality assurance standpoint,” says Alex Martel, Brewery Manager, London, Labatt Breweries of Canada. ”We are constantly doing what’s needed to ensure the brewery is prepared for future growth through production and environmental efficiencies, and this injection of capital will go a long way to optimize our brewery.”
