Turning new leaf
New Leaf Essentials East brings 12 new jobs to Slemon Park
New Leaf Essentials East will contract local farmers to produce field peas and process them at its facility in Slemon Park, creating up to a dozen new jobs.
Now that Prince Edward Island native Chris Chivilo is a successful pulse processor and trader out west, he wants to do the same in his home province. The Charlottetown Rural High School graduate has created New Leaf Essentials East, an Island-based subsidiary of WA Grain Holdings Inc.
The company will contract with local farmers to produce about 5,000 acres of field peas and process them at its newly purchased facility in Slemon Park, creating up to a dozen new jobs in the province. “This province has a deep agricultural history, thousands of experienced growers, a dedicated workforce, and an ideal season for growing the crops we process,” Chivilo said. “It’s also my home province and we see tremendous potential for growth here, which is why we’re so pleased to be opening New Leaf Essentials East in Slemon Park.”
Chivilo left Prince Edward Island for the west in 1983 when he was 21 years old.
His company WA Grain Holdings Inc. has locations and partnerships in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec.
Some of the peas New Leaf Essentials East will process at the former potato chip plant in Slemon Park will be used in pet and aquaculture foods and others will be exported whole. So far the company has about 3,000 acres under contract with nearly 50 farmers.
Their target for 2017 is 5000 acres.
Farmers interested in learning more about New Leaf Essentials East can visit www. wagrain.ca.