Thursday, March 26, 2015

Sofina buys Quality, Great Lakes


Sofina Foods Inc. of Markham has bought the Quality Packers brand name and the Great Lakes Specialty Foods Inc. plant in Mitchell, and is converting the Mitchell facility to handle turkeys.

Both were in bankruptcy.

Sofina also owns the former Fearman’s and Maple Leaf Foods hog-packing plant in Burlington.

The company hasn’t said when turkey processing will begin, other than it will be this year.

"The addition of the Mitchell facility is evolutionary to our current operations in Dublin, Ontario," said Sofina vice-president Jeff McDowell.

"The Mitchell facility provides Sofina Foods with the ability to provide fresh turkey to our further processing operations in London and Brampton, (and) confirms our commitment to the Ontario turkey industry, and Ontario turkey farmers,” he said.

“This is the largest single investment in the Canadian turkey industry in over 25 years."

Sofina Foods has a broad portfolio of branded and private label pork, beef, turkey, and chicken products sold under a number of brand names including Lilydale, Janes, Mastro, San Daniele, Fearmans Pork, Fletcher's, Vienna, Quality Meats, San Benedetto, Lavazza and Rio Mare.

Sofina Foods operates 18 HACCP-approved manufacturing facilities,  17 of them in Canada and one in the northwestern United States and three hatcheries .

It has more than 4,800 employees.