Hilton Foods Canada is set to build a $192 million food processing and distribution facility at Brantford, creating 150 new jobs. This will be the first North American facility for the company.
The Government of Ontario is supporting Hilton Foods’ expansion with $1.5 million grant from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund.
The company will build a 230,000-square-foot food processing and warehouse distribution facility that will process protein products, including beef, pork, lamb, and seafood, for distribution centres as far as Mississauga, Cornwall, and Moncton. Hilton Foods partners with Walmart and will provide robotized store order picking into Walmart’s distribution centres, the company says.
“Hilton Foods’ decision to establish its first North American facility in Ontario is a testament to the robust business environment our government has worked to create by lowering the cost of doing business, cutting red tape and creating new trade opportunities for Ontario businesses,” says Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Our government will continue to make strategic investments to protect Ontario’s economy, create good-paying jobs, and build a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy.”
The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund is a stream of Ontario’s Regional Development Program (RDP), launched in 2019 to provide financial assistance and advisory services to help businesses and municipalities invest in equipment, innovation, workforce development, and market expansion in eastern and southwestern Ontario.
"This is a tremendous vote of confidence in Ontario’s resilient economy and world-class workforce, as Hilton Food Group chooses Ontario for their first North American food processing plant. Combined with other recent private sector expansions and Brantford’s booming agri-food sector, this $192 million investment strengthens our province’s position as a global agri-food manufacturing leader, creating 150 good-paying jobs and strengthening regional prosperity," says Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
