Frozen food giant McCain Foods plans to build a $150 million processing plant in the U.S. Pacific northwest, but won’t yet say where or how big.
The New Brunswick-based company issued a release Wednesday saying its facility would be designed to make French fries and potato specialties mostly for food service and quick-service restaurant customers in the U.S. and international markets.
The proposed plant’s exact location, home state and capacity aren’t being released pending site approvals, McCain spokesperson Susan Rogers said Wednesday.
Construction would begin in spring 2008, pending approvals, for start-up in late summer 2009, the company said.
“The region is ideally suited for our business with optimal potato growing conditions, an established grower community and a low-cost distribution source point for overseas markets,” McCain CEO Dale Morrison said in the release.
“The region” would refer to the northwestern states of Idaho and Washington, which combined accounted for 49 per cent of total U.S. potato crop production in 2004, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Colorado, North Dakota and Oregon combined produced another 16 per cent.
