Lakeside Produce announced a $7-million expansion of their Leamington, Ontario, facilities. Along with expanded greenhouses and 80,000 square feet added to their production facility, the company will be adding over 200 new jobs to the still-recovering job market, which took a hit when the H. J. Heinz company closed their local facilities in 2014.
“We feel there is an opportunity to address increased market demand for fresh greenhouse produce,” Tariq Malik, director of marketing, shared.
Clearly the local government agrees. The company was awarded a $1 million provincial grant from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, and Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal lent his support during the press conference.
The demand for fresh produce Lakeside has seen isn’t just in Canada. The company, which has greenhouses in California and Mexico as well as Canada, is exploring expansion opportunities in the Asian market.
“Over the last two years, we have explored the opportunity to expand into the Asian market,” Malik shared. “I have personally visited Shanghai and Hong Kong to introduce our brand to this area. There is a huge demand for healthy, good-for-you products in this area due to the ongoing water concerns.”
There are obstacles, however, for the company. Although Leal echoed these observations, saying of a recent trade mission that at every stop in China they want food that’s grown in Ontario, there are restrictions on produce exports that make tapping that market difficult at the moment. But Lakeside hopes to change that.
“Working closely with our government we are hoping to lift some of the sanctions that currently don’t allow any vegetables (other than cucumbers) to be imported from Canada,” Malik said.
In addition to the expansion, the company is currently working on packaging research. Lakeside is working to develop packaging better suited to long distance travel.
“We are continuously working on new and innovative packaging that will increase both shelf life of the product to account for long distance travel and, more importantly, allow product to remain fresher on our customers' tables,” Malik shared.
Research is focused now on packaging designed with small holes that could extend the shelf life of produce for up to 12 days.
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