December 1, 2022 — Siwin Foods, an Alberta-based company that makes ready-to-eat meals, announced today a plan to create new jobs and expand into new markets.
With a $54 million expansion of its Edmonton facility, the company will add 30,000 square feet of space and create 50 jobs during the construction phase and another 50 jobs when the facility becomes operational.
Supported by a $2.8 million Alberta Investment and Growth Fund grant from the Government of Alberta, Siwin Foods expects to triple production volume by 2024. Invest Alberta worked alongside the company and the province to support Siwin’s scale-up efforts.
Siwin Foods explored other cities but chose to expand in Edmonton due to Alberta’s access to high-quality food ingredients and international markets. The company uses locally sourced raw materials from Alberta and Canada wherever possible, spending more than $23 million per year in the region. While 90 per cent of the company’s business currently involves supplying major Canadian retailers with products, the expanded footprint will allow Siwin Foods to extend its global reach, creating additional jobs and economic activity in the region.
This expansion will strengthen the local supply chain related to food and agriculture and will serve to grow the value-added agriculture sector within the Edmonton region.
Construction of the facility will begin in 2023. Once the facility is fully operational in 2024, Siwin Foods will keep building on Alberta’s innovation ecosystem with ongoing research and development for new product lines to meet consumer demands.
“Our government is proud to be creating an economic climate that is attracting and retaining high-impact investments to our province. We are continuing to work hard to ensure Alberta is known as an international destination to do business. Our recent investment into Siwin Foods will create jobs in Alberta, increase our economic growth and recovery, and support the Alberta agriculture industry.”
- The Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism
“The expansion of Siwin Foods is incredibly exciting for the Edmonton region. This will create numerous employment opportunities, it will capitalize on much of what our region has to offer growing businesses, and it will support Edmonton in our journey towards achieving post-pandemic economic recovery. I am glad that Siwin Foods has chosen the Edmonton region, and look forward to seeing what opportunities will materialize for Edmontonians from this expansion in the near future.”
- Amarjeet Sohi, Mayor of Edmonton
“There is no better place in the world than Alberta for entrepreneurs like Siwin Foods to thrive. The make-it-happen attitude combined with the support we have received from the Government of Alberta and Invest Alberta cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The abundance of high-quality foods grown, raised and produced right here in Alberta allows us to offer local food coast-to-coast across Canada and export to new markets across the globe.”
- Gord DeJong, Siwin Foods Vice President
“There is tremendous opportunity to invest in value-added agriculture in the Edmonton region. Access to high quality inputs, strong connections to global markets, and supportive infrastructure which includes the Leduc Food Development Processing Centre are all key to the success of companies like Siwin. Siwin is capitalizing on these opportunities by expanding here and we couldn’t be more excited to see what comes next for this regional success story.”
- Malcolm Bruce, Edmonton Global CEO
“Siwin Foods’ nearly 20-year history in Alberta is a testament to the local investment ecosystem that has supported the company to expand both locally and into new markets around the world. Siwin Foods’ latest success showcases the strength of the research and development opportunities in Alberta, the high-quality raw ingredients available locally, the skilled workforce, and the network of support that ensures businesses in our province thrive.”
- Rick Christiaanse, Invest Alberta CEO
About Invest Alberta:
Invest Alberta is engaging the world and providing high-end tailored support to companies, investors, and major new projects. With team members strategically positioned in key markets around the world, Invest Alberta works to break down barriers so businesses can start up, scale up, and succeed without limits. Since 2020, we have helped investors commit $20 billion and thousands of diverse jobs into Alberta. For more information please visit: www.investalberta.ca
About Edmonton Global:
The purpose of Edmonton Global is to radically transform and grow the economy of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. We are a not-for-profit corporation founded by 14 municipalities that make up the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Our focus is attracting foreign investment, helping regional businesses export with the world, enhancing our region’s global competitiveness, and bringing our region together with a unified voice to attract the attention and interest of investors the world over.
About Siwin Foods:
Siwin provides the highest quality in ready-to-eat and quick-cooking meal solutions. Wholesome meets high-tech in Siwin’s immaculate and modern federally inspected Alberta processing facility, where we produce our growing product line with exceptional care and the highest food safety standards. In the test kitchen, we blend quality herbs and seasoning with the finest cuts of world-renowned Canadian meats. The result is our nutritious Siwin products, unmatched flavor, quality and freshness. We want everyone to enjoy healthy meals that are deliciously different.
Media Contacts:
Invest Alberta
communications@investalberta.ca
Edmonton Global
Sherri Bouslama
Sbouslama@edmontonglobal.ca
780.996.1524