Manufacturing in Manitoba

A PROUD MEMBER OF MANITOBA'S MANUFACTURING COMMUNITY & SUPPORTING NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST CPG COMPANIES SINCE 2001 go Far 500 MILES 1000 MILES 2000 MILES MID CANADA TRANSLOAD SERVICES LTD M E X I C O Brandon Winnipeg nipeg i n Winnipeg i Winni telli ll Letellier k a ADA k N a A D MID C NA NA NA Fork Fork N A Grand Grand G A MID MID MID MID C A M ANA NA MI MI MI MI MI MID CA CA CA CA CA CAN ANA NA NA NA NA NA NADA DA DA AD AD AD AD ADA DA A TRANSLOAD T SLOA L AN A TR TR TRA RA RANSL NSLOA OA NS NS TRA TRA RAN ANS NS NSL SLO LOA OAD AD AD Regina Seattle Denver Kansas City Minneapolis Thunder Bay Winnipeg Chicago Toronto Ottawa New York City Raleigh Atlanta Miami Dallas Santa Fe San Fransisco Los Angeles C A N A D A • Transloading from truck to rail/rail to truck • Direct access to BNSF & CN Railways • Competitive rates to and from US/Mexico • Located 10 minutes North of Canada/US border • Specializing in Agricultural and Industrial/Manufactured Products • 250 acres available for development • Warehousing/office space for lease PHONE: 204-794-6883 EMAIL: info@midcantransload.com www.midcanadatransloadservices.com EXPAND YOUR EXPORT MARKETS REDUCE YOUR IMPORT COSTS INDUSTRIAL PARK DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY Food production accounts for the biggest slice of Manitoba's manufacturing pie. The food and beverage industry is our largest manufacturing sector by far, accounting for about 24 to 25 per cent of everything made in this province by dollar value, says Dave Shambrock, executive director of Food & Beverage Manitoba, the sector's industry association. "The industry is around $4.5 to $4.7 billion of sales each year. That's the value of the products manufactured — on the shipping dock, so to speak," Shambrock says. "We can say that in Manitoba, although we are 'steady Eddie,' our business is growing dramatically, certainly in comparison to the other provinces in Canada," he adds. "It provides somewhere around 12,000 direct jobs in everything from production line to sales to quality assurance." With recent company expansions in key areas, capacity building for small- to medium-sized companies, and training programs that help businesses stay current on technology and regulatory changes, the industry is in good shape. Thanks to a $400-million investment by French food giant Roquette, Portage la Prairie will soon be home to a new pea-protein production centre to meet increasing demand in global markets. And J.R. Simplot recently announced a significant $460-million expansion to its potato processing plant in Portage. "They chose to do that over building a new plant in Washington," says Shambrock. "They are looking to our stable economy, good workforce, and we currently have a government that is very supportive of the industry. "Credit also goes to the economic professionals in Manitoba agriculture that have been working behind the scenes to make some of those big projects happen." Food & Beverage Manitoba also connects large retailers, like Red River Co-op, Save-On Foods, Sobeys and Safeway, with small- to medium- sized producer/manufacturers to promote capacity-building. "We facilitate meetings with these companies here in Winnipeg, and we've been hugely successful helping to get local companies listed and promoted in the stores," Shambrock says. He says a current review of overall impact indicates that the sector is approaching $7 to $8 million over the last two or three years of new sales of Manitoba food and beverage products through these distribution channels. "That's a huge sales boost in this industry," he says. "When small- to mid-sized companies see this kind of year-over-year growth, it very quickly translates into new jobs. With small companies we can point to at least 75 or 80 new jobs created at three- to 10-person companies." And since growing businesses need more services and supplies from other businesses, there's a "multiplier effect," he says. Food & Beverage Manitoba also works closely with medium- to large-sized companies like Granny's Poultry, Old Dutch Foods, Peak of the Market, Bee Maid Honey, Gunn's Bakery, Jeanne's Bakery and Winkler Meats. "When those larger companies are part of the campaign with us, it elevates the stature of the start-up companies, because consumers tend to view them in the same way," Shambrock says. "They don't know if it's a three-person company or a 30-person company; they want to support local businesses and this program really helps them do that." It also taps into a sea change in the marketplace. "Our latest statistics show that between eight and nine per cent of consumers are passionate about buying local and are actively seeking it out," he says. "That is more than double from three or four years ago, and in our industry, that increase is dramatic." Shambrock says Food & Beverage Manitoba is working to facilitate that demand. "Part of our campaign is to tag local products with logos and point-of-purchase material," he says. "Red River Co-op has been a standout in working with us to create their own section of Manitoba-made products." Training programs are another benefit to industry members, reaching 1,200 to 1,500 employees or owner/operators with core training in food safety and marketing. "One of the most significant trends is a major shift from traditional production line-type jobs to higher tech, quality jobs with automation in manufacturing and packaging," he says. Training also assists with navigating regulatory issues. "We're looking at developing a resource person to work with new businesses, especially start-ups, to help them work through that matrix and make sure their products are packaged and labelled correctly," he says. "And some of those new businesses are small companies doing really neat things." He cites Piccola Cucina, a company making Italian-style macaroons with almonds; Bones and Marrow, a bone broth company just getting into production; and Dr. Beetroot, a company leveraging the health properties of beets to make high-quality products like beet ketchup and beverages. "Perfect Perogies in Garson, Manitoba, are making a machine-made dough with the consistency of what my grandmother used to make," he adds. "They employ about 20-25 people, are growing dramatically with products in a number of retail stores, and looking to expand to a new plant." Food & Beverage Manitoba provides a list of members and associate members on its website, ranging from small companies like Smak Dab Mustard and Superior Harvest Foods — which grows and markets jumbo sunflower seeds — to Fort Garry Brewing Company and Maple Leaf Foods. ❙ Learn more at foodbeveragemb.ca y Manitoba's largest manufacturing sector includes niche products like Smak Dab mustard (top) and Piccola Cucina macaroons (below), as well as Granny's Poultry and peas, which will soon be processed into pea protein at French food giant Roquette's new plant in Portage la Prairie. FARM TO FACTORY TO FORK FOOD PRODUCTION IS A GROWTH INDUSTRY IN MANITOBA By Wendy King for the Free Press

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