Natural Prairie Beef Inc. said Tuesday it has acquired a Winnipeg, Manitoba, hog processing plant from Maple Leaf Foods and begun to redevelop the facility to produce premium-branded beef.
The producer-owned company, which raises and markets cattle under its "Natural" branded beef program, said it is following a new business model for the Canadian beef industry in that it will target niche markets and own more links in the value chain "from gate to plate."
The first phase of the project is expected to begin operations by the end of 2008, and will employ 15 to 20 people with a focus on processing value-added beef products for local markets. The company plans to completely renovate the plant over the next year to create a federally inspected beef slaughtering and processing facility that will market product throughout North America and into Asia and the European Union. The plant is expected to employ 80 people upon completion.
Renovation and upgrade work has already begun. At full capacity, it will handle 250 head per day and can be easily upgraded to 500 head per day. It will be the first new federally inspected beef facility in Manitoba in more than a generation and the first to service export markets, the company said in news release.
Source:
MeatingPlace.com, July 30, 2008
by Tom Johnston