HyLife is pleased to announce that the steady growth in demand for its superior, high quality pork product has resulted in the need for an investment up to $125 million to modernize and expand to its Integrated Pork Production and Processing System, starting as early as 2017. This will include another expansion of HyLife’s flagship pork processing facility in Neepawa, Manitoba.
“HyLife’s investment into growing our Japanese and Chinese markets has been very rewarding and is sending the signal that we can do more,” said HyLife President, Claude Vielfaure. “This new investment in Manitoba will mean not only more jobs across the province but a greater demand for value-added pork thanks to our integrated system and our great primary producer partners.”
HyLife has become Canada’s number one fresh chilled pork exporter to Japan, returning $200 million worth of sales from the Japanese market annually. HyLife recently opened a restaurant in the trendy Daikanyama district of Tokyo to further highlight the quality and taste profile that HyLife pork delivers.
“HyLife has taken that unique Japanese consumer demand for its domestic pork and worked tirelessly to recreate this taste profile at home in our integrated production and processing system,” continued Vielfaure. “The result has been a solid and growing base of Japanese consumers seeking to buy HyLife’s premium fresh chilled pork products, which we grow and process right here in Manitoba.”
HyLife has also had a steady presence in the Chinese market, grossing $80 million in sales since breaking into the market in 2008. While in China with Prime Minister Trudeau in early September, HyLife announced a contract with the Chinese e-commerce platform, JD.com.
In order to meet growing demand and address international competitive pressure, the time has come to reinvest back into HyLife’s integrated system. HyLife envisions expanding the Neepawa plant by moving to a full double shift and adopting innovative technologies to improve yields and processes and increase shelf life. HyLife also plans to construct new finishing barns and a feed mill. This will bring up to 165 new jobs to the communities HyLife operates in and will increase its total employee base to approximately 2,000.
