Quebec dairy producer Fromagerie Bergeron receives $3.9mn investment from Canadian government

Quebec-based dairy processor Fromagerie Bergeron has secured CAD$3.9mn from the Canadian government to help automate its production lines and increase cheese production capacity. 

The investment comes as part of the Canadian government’s Dairy Processing Investment Fund, a CAD$100mn program that aims to encourage productivity and competitiveness and prepare for market changes resulting from the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA). 

The Canadian firm says that the investment will help it install robotic equipment and further automate the production lines at the company’s Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly plant.

This will help Fromagerie Bergeron market sliced, grated and different cheese sizes and will also raise its cheese production capacity and allow it to buy more milk from dairy producers.

In doing so, the investment hopes to lower production costs, use more milk components in cheese production and make the company more competitive. 

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“This demonstrates support for our industry in the current international context,” said Roger Bergeron, président of Fromagerie Bergeron.

“This contribution will allow us to support, in part, the modernization projects at Fromagerie Bergeron to deal with strong competition and to protect jobs and products here and across the country.”

Specialised in gouda production, Fromagerie Bergeron is a family-owned Canadian business that has over 250 employees. 

In a statement, the cheese producer said that it also has plans to invest $20mn in the plant to expand and modernize it. 

Jean-Claude Poissant, parliamentary secretary to the minister of agriculture and agri-food added: “Roger and Mario Bergeron are great examples of forward-looking dairy processors focused on improving their company’s productivity, modernizing their equipment, and enhancing dairy products.

“I’m glad the government of Canada is contributing to keeping the dairy processing industry modern and competitive and enabling new market opportunities.

“This is just one of the many ways the government continues to support the dairy industry to ensure it remains strong and dynamic, while also supporting families engaged in the sector.”