Canadian yoghurt firm Ultima Foods has announced plans to expand its plant in the eastern city of Granby.
Ultima, which produces Yoplait under licence but also has its own brand, Iögo, will spend C$22m (US$22.5m) over the next two years to increase prodcution at the facility.
The company, a venture between Canadian dairy co-ops Agropur and Agrifoods International, has already spent C$10m on the plant since May and has plans to spend C$60m on marketing Iögo.
The extra investment will support Iögo and other yoghurt brands including Yoplait, Ultima said.
Ultima president and CEO Gerry Doutre said Iögo had already proven a "success" since its launch in August.
"We are very pleased to be investing yet again so quickly in our Granby plant. The success of Iögo is due to the excellent consumer response, our clients' support, the commitment of all our employees, and our determination to build upon our leadership in the Canadian yogurt industry," Doutre said.
Ultima Foods invests $22M in its Granby plant LONGUEUIL, QC, Oct. 3, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Ultima Foods, a Canadian leader in the manufacturing and marketing of yogurt and the owner and manufacturer of the new brand iögo, announced today that it is making a major investment in its Granby plant. Mr. Gerry Doutre, President and CEO of Ultima Foods, reported that the company will commit $22 million over two years to purchase equipment that will increase production capacity at its Granby facilities.
The company's management decided to accelerate the process to purchase specific equipment set out in its investment plan. This $22-million investment is in addition to the $60 million that Ultima Foods and its shareholders have earmarked for iögo marketing and development and the $10 million that it has already invested in the Granby plant since May.
"We are very pleased to be investing yet again so quickly in our Granby plant. The success of iögo is due to the excellent consumer response, our clients' support, the commitment of all our employees, and our determination to build upon our leadership in the Canadian yogurt industry," stated Mr. Gerry Doutre, President and CEO.
This investment will also help the company better meet needs for the other products it manufactures in Granby, such as the Yoplait brand for General Mills.
About iögo
iögo is a brand of yogurt and fresh dairy products that is 100% Canadian and that is created, developed and marketed across Canada by Ultima Foods. The creation and innovation behind the brand were guided by the single goal of providing a natural taste. The brand has seven different product lines: iögo, iögo 0% (fat-free yogurt with 35 calories per 100-g serving), iögo Probio (new twists on probiotic yogurt, such as lactose-free flavours), iögo Greko(Greek yogurt), iögo Nomad (drinkable yogurt), iögo Zip (tube yogurt) and iögo Nano (fresh cheese and drinkable yogurt for children). All iögo products are gelatine-free with no artificial flavours or colours. They are also preservative-free, except for the iögo 0% line. Thanks to unique recipes, iögo has over 40 flavours. As a pledge that everyone will find something to love in this new product line, all iögo products are part of Ultima Foods' "Satisfaction guaranteed or it's free" policy. For more information about iögo, visit www.iogo.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Ultima Foods
For more than 40 years, Ultima Foods has been a Canadian leader in the manufacturing and marketing of yogurt and fresh dairy products. The company is headquartered in Longueuil (Québec) and has 750 employees across the country. It has world-class facilities and produces every year at its Granby plant more than 100 million kilos of fresh dairy products that are distributed across Canada. Having developed a veritable yogurt culture in the country, Ultima Foods makes products that are adapted to the tastes and expectations of Canadian consumers by investing in high standards of quality and innovation. It develops, manufactures and markets the iögo brand (www.iogo.ca). Aside from its brand, the company owns and operates Olympic-brand dairy products (www.olympicdairy.com). With the combined manufacturing of all those products, Ultima Foods, which is owned by the Agropur and Agrifoods dairy cooperatives, is a major player in the Canadian food industry. For more information about Ultima Foods, visitwww.ultimayog.ca or follow us on Facebook.
