This significant investment funds the construction of new facilities and the acquisition of new equipment for chicken boning and cooking, a new activity that will be added to the facility’s existing production operations. This addition will create 40 new jobs.

The facility will be supplied with fresh products by Olymel’s poultry primary processing plants in St-Damase, Montérégie, and at Sunnymel, in New Brunswick. Cooking and boning chickens will allow us to produce value-added diced chicken, a product destined for clients in the hotel, restaurant and institution (HRI) network.

This meat is popular for its use in pâtés, soups and salads as well as in a host of other culinary preparations. Once completed, the construction work will add nearly 14,000 sq. ft. to the facility on Claude Street, bringing its total surface area to over 37,000 sq. ft. New production operations should begin in April 2018.

"Olymel continues to develop its facilities in the poultry sector. This $8 million investment in our St-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant will make us more efficient and further diversify our operations. This new activity should ultimately have a positive impact on the poultry sector in Quebec and contribute to St-Jean-sur-Richelieu’s economic development by creating new jobs," said Olymel President and CEO Réjean Nadeau.

The Olymel plant in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu employs more than 130 people (170 once the construction is completed) whose work is spread over three shifts. This agrifood further processing plant manufactures a variety of products ranging from poultry cold cuts to tournedos, chicken skewers, turkey roasts and now, diced chicken.