Acadian Seaplants Continues Growth

A world-leading Nova Scotia biotech company is undergoing a multi-million dollar expansion to increase capacity, introduce new technologies, and enhance product quality and worker safety.

Acadian Seaplants is investing more than $4-million for new equipment at its facilities in Cornwallis, Yarmouth and Charlesville, Shelburne Co. The province is contributing $539,421 to support the project.

"This is the kind of leadership Nova Scotia needs from the business community to drive our economy forward," said Natural Resources Minister Zach Churchill, on behalf of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Michel Samson. "Acadian Seaplants is seizing the opportunity to grow and increase trade, and the province is proud to partner in this ambitious venture."

Acadian Seaplants harvests and processes seaweed for global markets involving specialty fertilizer products, animal feed supplements, ingredients for nutriceutical, brewery and cosmetics markets and cultivated sea-vegetables for Asian food markets.

"We are a local company with global reach into 80 different countries, but we know we need to continuously improve if we are going to continue to offer top-quality, technically-sophisticated and competitive products," said Acadian Seaplants president Jean-Paul Deveau. "This equipment will increase our competitive advantage by allowing us to produce more and better products faster, cut waste and emissions and reduce the physical effort needed by employees."

Acadian Seaplants expects to add 27 jobs throughout its operations over the next three years.

This investment comes from the Capital Investment Incentive Program, which encourages businesses to become more innovative and productive by providing up to 20 per cent of the cost of advanced equipment to a maximum of $1 million. For more information visit www.novascotia.ca/econ .