ST-HYACINTHE, QC, June 14, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Olymel L.P. executives are announcing the acquisition of all the shares of Pinty's Delicious Foods Inc., an Ontario poultry slaughtering and processing company that specializes in fully cooked products and other related products. Headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, Pinty's employs 360 people. The company operates three processing plants, respectively located in Port Colborne, Paris, and Oakville, Ontario. Pinty's markets its products throughout Canada and the United States under the brands Pinty's Food Service, Pinty's Pub & Grill, Pinty's Eat Well, Pinty's Perfect Portions and Pinty's Delicious Food Inc.

"Olymel is confident that this transaction will benefit our development and growth. We are proud to welcome the employees of Pinty's Delicious Foods Inc. Over the past 70 years, Pinty's has developed great expertise on the Canadian and American markets by offering innovative and exclusive products under brand names that have become extremely popular with many consumers and customers. We know that this family business has been served by passionate owners throughout its history. We are also pleased to invest and strengthen our presence in Ontario and on the Canadian market," said Réjean Nadeau, Olymel's President and CEO.

Current employees of Pinty's Delicious Foods Inc. will continue to work within the company. The closing of this transaction is subject to the approval of the Competition Bureau. Meanwhile, both companies will continue their activities separately and independently.

"The owners and management of Pinty's Delicious Foods are happy to have found a Canadian buyer. We are confident that Olymel will grow our company and ensure it a promising future. I truly believe that our employees will benefit from the advantages of working for a large group like Olymel, a company that has a unique expertise in the processing and marketing of poultry products. We are proud of the company and the business network that we have built around Pinty's brands for decades and I am certain that this transaction will also benefit our customers and consumers," said Jack Vanderlaan, Executive Chairman of Pinty's.

This acquisition is part of Olymel's action to consolidate its position in Canada as the leader of the pork and poultry slaughtering and processing sector. Specifically, in the poultry sector, Olymel owns seven poultry slaughtering and processing establishments in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick serving the entirety of the Canadian market under the brands Olymel, Flamingo and Galco, in addition to placing its production capacity at the service of private brands. Pinty's will pursue its activities, continue to serve its current customers and honour its supply agreements according to the prevailing poultry market conventions in Ontario. 

MONTREAL, June 14, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Given that the acidity of fruits like the cranberry is an obstacle to their consumption, a team of highly experienced and qualified engineers, technicians, and flavorists from West Invest sought a way to develop a fruit that has been underexploited for too long, due to a lack of sophisticated technology. Today, the company and its leader Eric Reynaud are proud to unveil a patent-pending innovation that enables the development of healthy, natural and high-quality products: F.I.E.R.^TM (Flash Ions Exchange Resins).

A year of research and development in 2016 bore fruit as the West Invest team discovered a way to precisely target the molecule responsible for undesirable acid perception. This led to development of the F.I.E.R.^TM process, which is used to adjust and correct the pH of cranberries (from less than 2.5 to nearly 3.5) by selectively, reliably, and quickly reducing a specific compound while preserving all the properties and components of interest in the fruit.

The F.I.E.R.^TM process can be applied to a wide range of so-called acidic fruits and optimize a pH between 2.5 and 4.5 to a tenth of a point. Its application extends to pomegranates, for instance, with a pH between 2.5 and 3.5, and even pineapples, with a pH between 3.5 and 4, as well as to many other products and applications such as juices, jams, sauces, coulis, and toppings, or even soups, precluding the need for added sugar and artificial coloring.

"Today, consumer awareness is leading to increased demand for a healthier diet that limits the use of sugar without altering the taste experience," says Eric Reynaud. "Cranberries have important health benefits, such as antioxidants and polyphenolics, but because of their acidity, they are not consumed, or at least rarely, favored without changing their concentration (adding sugar and/or water). That is why, after painstaking research to enhance and optimize the potential of cranberries and other acidic fruits, we at West Invest are proud to announce that we have developed an industrial innovation that will put the fruit at center stage. The cranberry is ultimately a beautiful symphony—you just have to tune out the off-key notes."

F.I.E.R.^TM industrial technology is a great solution for the agrifood industry of tomorrow, as it costs less than 2¢ per liter to implement. In concrete terms, it is capable of processing 50,000 liters per day of cranberry juice or any other type of product. The device, consisting of four chromatography reactors, can process a wide range of products thanks to an automation and regulation module allowing the operator to adjust and stabilize the pH of the desired solutions. The process can be easily integrated into any existing production line with very low implementation costs.

The tool's capacity suggests easy scalability to accommodate higher productivity levels. West Invest is currently working on a unit capable of processing 250,000 liters per day. Going from 50,000 liters to 250,000 liters is much easier than scaling up from the laboratory to the pre-industrial stage.

Renowned international organizations and laboratories such as the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ), have validated the technology and certified that it preserves the phenolic profile of deacidified cranberry juice. As such, it fully preserves the polyphenolic compounds and anthocyanin pigments—the cranberry's claim to fame—throughout the entire process.

While the cranberry market is supported by dried fruit, which accounts for around 70% of production, F.I.E.R. technology optimizes and reduces the use of sugars in the production of dried products and candying by replacing them with nutrient-rich deacidified juices.

"This discovery will affect all parts of the economy positively," says Eric Reynaud. "It's a win–win that will generate both jobs and consumer health benefits."

June 14, 2018

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Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa-based national advocacy organization for food and beverage manufacturers across the country has appointed Kathleen Sullivan as chief executive officer. This announcement closely follows the recent launch of Food & Beverage Canada (FBC-ABC), which represents over 1,500 businesses and 7 regional food and beverage manufacturing associations from coast to coast.
 
“Kathleen brings extraordinary leadership skills and an impressive resume of agriculture and food industry expertise to Food & Beverage Canada,” said Michael Burrows co-chair of FBC-ABC and chief executive officer of Maple Lodge Farms. “Under Kathleen’s leadership, Food & Beverage Canada will advance business-led solutions that improve competitiveness, encourage innovation and deliver value to the food and beverage industry in Canada.”
 
“I look forward to working with our members and government to achieve the full economic potential of this vital sector,” said Kathleen Sullivan, chief executive officer of Food & Beverage Canada. “To ensure our industry’s competitiveness and to reach the federal government’s goal of $75 billion in agriculture and food exports by 2025, there is a lot of hard policy and planning work ahead. This is a challenge I am excited to embrace.”

Prior to joining Food & Beverage Canada, Kathleen Sullivan was President of Sullivan Public Affairs, a boutique public affairs firm specializing in agri-food trade policy and in helping companies navigate Canada’s domestic food laws and food import regulations. Kathleen has also held a number of leadership roles in not-for-profit organizations including Executive Director of the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance, President of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and General Manager of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada.