Kraft Heinz Canada and Highbury Canco extend facility agreement in Leamington

Kraft Heinz Canada and Highbury Canco announced the extension of their partnership agreement in Leamington for another four years.

The production deal is now in place until the end of 2027.

The company says about $1 billion in Kraft Heinz Canada products will be produced in Leamington over the next four years.

Wednesday’s announcement marks the third consecutive extension in the longstanding partnership between the two organizations in Southern Ontario, a connection that has served to support jobs and bolster the local economy.

Highbury Canco employs more than 600 Canadians at its 2.1-million-square-foot facility in Leamington, where it produces some of Kraft Heinz Canada’s popular products, including Heinz beans, Heinz tomato juice and Classico pasta sauce.The former Heinz facility in Leamington has new life as the Highbury Canco plant on Nov. 13, 2014. (Sacha Long /CTV Windsor)

“We’re proud to extend our agreement with Highbury Canco and look forward to continuing to have Kraft Heinz Canada products produced by the talented and hard-working employees at its Leamington facility for another four years,” said Simon Laroche, president of Kraft Heinz Canada. “We’ve built strong local partnerships across Canada, our second largest market globally, for over 100 years and this new deal signals our continued commitment to being a strong partner to Canadian communities.”

Kraft Heinz Canada continues to be Highbury Canco’s largest partner in Canada, with more than 220 million pounds of Ontario tomatoes being used in its products annually. Highbury Canco’s Leamington facility exclusively produces the tomato paste that is used in all the Heinz Ketchup made at Kraft Heinz’s Mont Royal facility in Montreal.

“Extending our partnership with Kraft Heinz Canada for another four years provides significant stability for our facility, and for our workforce,” said Sam Diab, CEO at Highbury Canco. “This is a mutually beneficial alliance that is of great significance to the Leamington community, and for all the Canadians that can continue to enjoy Kraft Heinz Canada products being produced at facilities such as ours.”