News Release Archive
ECONOMIC RENEWAL--KENTVILLE FOOD PLANT DISTRIBUTION FACILITY ------------------------------------------------------------ ACA Co-Operative Ltd. of New Minas, will get its products to market quicker and more efficiently, thanks to a $2 million loan to Eastern Protein Foods Ltd. from the Nova Scotia Economic Renewal Agency's Business Development Corporation. The loan will assist with the construction of a distribution plant at the company's Kentville Industrial Park site, for distributing ACA poultry products. "This is vital to the economy of the Annapolis Valley region. ACA will buy chicken, turkey and eggs with a value of $27 million, and goods and services worth an additional $19 million from Nova Scotia companies and producers," said Economic Renewal Minister Robert Harrison. Eastern Protein Foods Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACA Co-Operative Ltd. and the two are major employers in the Annapolis Valley with more than 400 people on payroll. "ACA is constrained for space in its existing New Minas facility," said ACA and Eastern Protein president, Phil Kudelka. "With the expansion, we will have a modern plant and the space we will save at New Minas will be used to increase our efficiency," he said. Mr. Kudelka said the distribution plant is vital to the company's long-term profitability. "The facility is one step in ensuring ACA is competitive in the poultry industry and in the new global economy," he said. The Kentville distribution plant follows the completion of modern technology improvements and expansions to the New Minas plant that included installation of computer equipment to control shipping and inventory. "This loan will allow ACA and Eastern Protein to keep pace with the future in a highly competitive field, despite recent disruptions in the Canadian poultry processing industry," said Mr. Harrison. The minister added that by strengthening local economies in this way, the government creates the right climate for investment within the province. -30- Contact: Steve Warburton 902-424-0927 trp Dec. 18, 1995