By Lara Fominoff @fomsy1 on Twitter

Cavendish Farms to invest $360 million in new Lethbridge facility

Sep 18, 2017 | 4:55 PM

LETHBRIDGE – It’s the biggest investment a company has made  in the history of Lethbridge. And it has for the first time, pushed total constuction investment in the city to the $1 billion dollar mark, according to Mayor Chris Spearman.
 
Cavendish Farms President Robert Irving, Premier Rachel Notley, Mayor Spearman, and numerous other local and provincial dignitiaries were in attendance at the company’s sod-turning ceremony Monday afternoon in the Sherring Industrial Park.
 
Irving explains that when the new $360 million plant, located just off 43 Street North is completed, it will process 680 million pounds of potatoes every year. Site preparation work is already underway.
 
“Building our new plant in this community was very important to us,” says Irving. “Lethbridge has provided Cavendish Farms with a cross-Canada presence and has helped us fuel our growth, and allowed us to reach key export markets around the world.”
 
Premier Notley says when the facility is completed, more than 100 people will have well-paying jobs.
 
“The new Cavendish facility is expected to create demand for
an additional 9,000 acres of potatoes…this is one of the highest value agricultural crops grown in the province.
 
“At peak construction, this facility will see up to 400 construction workers on site. It will mean 115-ish direct and indirect jobs during operations. And it will significantly add to Alberta’s food processing power.”
 
Irving says foundation work will begin this December and construction of the new building should be completed by the Fall of 2019.