Dr. Oetker Expands Capacity in Canada

Ontario will be investing up to USD7m in  Dr. Oetker plant located in the province’s town of London, allowing for the workforce to increase to 300 from roughly 200, and nearly doubling production.

The investment will result in a new production line that includes dough preparation, baking, toppings, freezing, and packaging equipment. Production is anticipated to jump to 18,000 pizzas from 10,000.

“Capacity within the London plant is being built to bring in some of these high-speed frozen pizza manufacturing products,” London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) CEO Kapil Lakhotia told 980 CFPL.

“It’ll allow the company to use these presses to manufacture both a smaller size of pizza that serves up to two, as well as a larger family size.”

The announcement comes exactly three months after Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd. announced it would be closing its Grand Falls (New Brunswick), frozen pizza plant in May, impacting 180 jobs.

At the time, the company said 70% of the manufacturing would move to London, while the rest would move to a plant in New Jersey.

Speaking with 980 CFPL, Lakhotia was unable to confirm whether there was any connection between that announcement and jobs announcement.

“I understand the facility in New Brunswick was outdated in terms of technology and automation, so certainly some of those products would come to London,” he said.

Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said that the government’s investment in Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd. will help secure a USD54.5m foreign direct investment in Ontario’s food processing sector and position the plant to compete globally. “This will in turn help create and retain jobs, boost London’s local economy and support the competitiveness and further growth of Ontario’s agri-food sector,” said Leal.