Thornloe Cheese may have a new lease on life, after its announced closure in October 2023. Owner Gay Lea Foods has announced the plant is set to be purchased by Triple “A” Cheese, a Mississauga, Ontario-based cheesemaker. The co-operative says it has entered into a letter of intent with Triple “A” Cheese, so the deal… Read More
Tag: Gay Lea Foods
It’s the end of an era for a northern Ontario cheese plant, as Gay Lea Foods Co-operative closed the Thornloe Cheese doors on Monday, October 30. The cheese and milk skimming plant has been in operation in some form since the 1940s, and was taken over by the co-op in 2019. Mike Langdon, vice president… Read More
The current president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd. (Gay Lea), Michael Barrett has announced his retirement, effective January 31, 2023. Barrett has been with Gay Lea for 22 years, serving as president and CEO since 2014, The board of directors has announced that Suzanna Dalrymple will sept in to the role effective… Read More
Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited has confirmed its acquisition of Thornloe Cheese from EastGen. Located in Northern Ontario, Thornloe Cheese has been a local producer of cheese and cheese curds near Thornloe, Ont., for over 75 years. Employing about 30 people, Thornloe is known for its speciality cheese and recently introduced the first butter and… Read More
Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd., a cow, and goat milk dairy processor will receive up to $16.9 million through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Dairy Processing Investment Fund (DPIF). With this funding, Gay Lea Foods is expanding its Teeswater, Ont., facility and will install advanced… Read More
“It was about sustainability, and sustainability as a singular Ontario entity was not necessarily going to work in a global dairy environment.” Growing up, Michael Barrett wanted to be a history teacher. Today, he’s president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd, a co-op owned by 1,400 milk producers. In this inaugural edition of… Read More
Change is good. Change is the only constant. Be the change you want to see in the world. There’s no shortage of sayings that reference change. Michael Barrett, president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods, prefers, though, to use imagery when discussing change and being ready for it. In his words, there are lines in the sand,… Read More
Ontario dairy co-op Gay Lea Foods and BC-based dairy ingredient supplier Vitalus Nutrition have announced a joint investment in dairy processing in Manitoba. The joint venture’s plans include upgrading an existing food processing plant in Winnipeg, which will increase drying capacity in Western Canada and expand butter production. “Gay Lea Foods is excited by the opportunities… Read More
Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited has reached an agreement to purchase Hewitt’s Dairy, effective November 1, 2014. Hewitt’s, a family-owned and -operated processor in Hagersville, Ontario, has been in the dairy industry for over 125 years, and offers a complete line of goat milk products, including organic goat milk in glass bottles and fresh organic… Read More