In a $142 million investment, Olymel, the Canadian producer, processor and distributer of pork and poultry meats, is constructing a major expansion of its La Fernandière plant in Trois-Rivières. The start of operations is scheduled for spring 2026.
The plant, which manufactures sausages, will expand production to include a wider range of pork and poultry products. It will also be converted into an integrated facility where products can be fully processed and packaged on site, thus reducing the transport of raw materials, better aligning processes, and strengthening the company’s productivity.
Yanick Gervais, CEO of Olymel, said: “We’re very proud to announce this major expansion of our Trois-Rivières plant. It’s a big step forward for Olymel. Having this state-of-the-art plant will create new possibilities for expansion and significantly improve our efficiency, which is central to our company’s performance.
“The project is perfectly aligned with our strategy of capitalizing on the creation of value-added products made with meat of superior quality that’s produced by local farmers.”
Technologies to be employed at the facility include artificial intelligence, a unique industrial battery system, a continuous cooking line, completely autonomous operations (slicing, packaging, boxing and palletizing), and autonomous vehicles.
Designed to optimize energy consumption, measures in the project include heat recovery, net-zero water-based cooking, and a heat exchanger to recover heat from wastewater. On-site industrial batteries will be used to store energy and better manage the plant’s power consumption when the grid is at peak demand.
The ham cooking systems will utilize closed-circuit water management, which saves much more energy and water. In addition, a primary and secondary water treatment plant will be built on site, along with the necessary retention pond, to manage stormwater runoff.
Parallel to this project, and with a view to optimizing its operations, Olymel will close its Anjou facility and its Cap-de-la-Madeleine facility in spring 2026. All personnel will be offered positions in neighbouring Olymel plants, particularly the newly built facility, which will be located a dozen kilometres from the Cap-de-la-Madeleine plant.