Minute Maid plant getting $85-million expansion
Lansdowne St. plant will make a new kind of milk called Fairlife
Coca-Cola Canada is pouring $85 million into its Minute Maid plant on Lansdowne St. W. in Peterborough.
On Tuesday, the company announced a new facility will produce a product called Fairlife ultrafiltered milk.
The product will be made in Peterborough and shipped nationwide.
Fran Mulhern, vice-president of Coca-Cola and general manager of farm-to-table business, said the new plant should be operational by 2020 and bring 35 jobs to the city.
The expansion will have a much broader economic impact on the entire Peterborough community through construction and day-to-day supplies, she said.
The expansion also cements Coca-Cola’s willingness to stay in Peterborough, Mulhern said.
Mayor Daryl Bennett said the new facility could have been built anywhere in North America and the fact Coca-Cola chose Peterborough for its expansion is nothing but good news for the region.
He said Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister and Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work to secure the facility. Bennett says the quality of Peterborough’s water also played in the decision.
“It was the quality of water, the political environment in Canada and incentives from the provincial government,” Bennett said “This will have a direct economic impact with new jobs and construction jobs.”
The federal government also played a role in securing the Peterborough development. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Lawrence MacAulay said the new plant will not only help create jobs, but encourage innovation.
Mulhern said the company purchased the property in 1948 and originally used the site for Coca-Cola bottling. In 1982, the Minute Maid plant was constructed.
“It’s the only frozen juice plant in the world,” boasts Mulhern. “It produces all the frozen juice for North America.”
The plant also produces juice base used in other products as well.
The plant expanded its footprint nearly 10 years ago when the section of Erskine Ave. be-
tween Lansdowne and High streets was closed to traffic to allow for expansion at the plant, including a warehouse that was built across the street.
Once up and running, the new plant will produce fairlife Ultrafiltered Milk in fat-free, two per cent white, chocolate and whole varieties.
According to a press release issued by Coca-Cola, the company has been working closely with the Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) during the planning process.
Graham Lloyd, DFO’s general manager and chief executive officer, says the new product will provide significant economic benefits for Peterborougharea farmers and the local community.
Raw milk used for the fairlife product will be supplied by Ontario dairy producers.
“Introducing fairlife to the Canadian market presents a great opportunity to showcase Ontario dairy farmers’ highquality milk and animal care practices, which pair well with the premium standards and passion for quality fairlife is known for,” Lloyd said.
“(And it further shows that) Canada’s dairy system continues to contribute to the Canadian economy by attracting millions of dollars in processor investments and offering continued and stable growth.”
Mulhern says select farmers will be used to supply the raw milk product, adding Coca-Cola hasn’t determined if the milk will come from farms in Peterborough County.
Fairlife is a dairy-based health food company that makes a nutrient dense milk through a patented cold-filtration process to remove lactose and sugars.
The result is a product with 50 per cent more protein and 50 per cent less sugar than regular milk.
Coca-Cola and Fairlife have partnered to distribute the product. It’s already available in the United States.
“It tastes like the best milk you have ever had,” Mulhern said.
Mulhern added Fairlife will be imported to Canada from the United States beginning this fall to build a customer base in this country until it’s produced and shipped from Peterborough.
‘‘ It tastes like the best milk you have ever had. FRAN MULHERN VICE-PRESIDENT COCA-COLA CANADA