Oxford Frozen Foods to establish new processing facility in New Brunswick

Oxford Frozen Foods, a Canada-based wild blueberry grower and processor, is set to establish a new processing facility in the Acadian Peninsula, New Brunswick, with an investment of C$50m.

The 12,600m² plant is part of the company’s C$184m project to construct a new processing facility and develop wild blueberry fields in the region.

Over a ten-year period, the project is expected to create up to 300 jobs and is expected to contribute up to $8.6m a year to the province’s gross domestic product.

The announcement was made by New Brunswick Premier David Alward, natural resources minister Paul Robichaud, and Oxford Frozen Foods founder, chair, co-CEO and president John Bragg.

In support of the project, the company will receive a C$37.5m interest-bearing repayable loan from Invest NB, a Crown corporation focused on developing foreign direct investment opportunities.

In addition, it will exchange 6,285ha of Crown land for private land with the Department of Natural Resources.

Bragg said, "We have a proven track record of our commitment to the communities in which we operate. We look forward to commencing this very significant project."

Commenting on the project, Alward said, "Investing in the value-added food sector and in New Brunswick workers is an important part of our government’s plan to rebuild the economy and create jobs in our communities.

"Our government is committed to working with strong partners like Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd. to grow the blueberry sector throughout our province and achieve the vision outlined in the recently announced New Brunswick Wild Blueberry Sector Strategy," he added.

Established in 1968, Oxford Frozen Foods operates manufacturing facilities in the Maritimes and the US.

The company is engaged in processing wild blueberries and frozen carrots as well as manufacturing onion rings and battered appetizers.

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Image: Work on the new blueberry processing plant is due to begin in spring 2014. Photo courtesy of Keattikorn.