BCFoods, a leading producer of high-quality food ingredients, is excited to announce the opening of BCFoods Canada, a new storage and distribution facility in Watford, ON Canada. The new facility will be a multi-faceted business improvement for the company, allowing us to better service our Canadian customers with a more localized distribution center and support team, as well as expanding 3PL business to Canada. Additionally, as BCFoods continues to grow, this facility will provide more storage space for North American operations.

The new facility, located near major transportation routes about 2 hours from Toronto, is 102K square feet that will include racking throughout and additional space for future production capabilities. The facility will be FSSC22000 audited and will incorporate industry leading safety protocols. Our strict quality control measures will ensure that every product that leaves the facility meets the highest standards.

BCFoods North American President, Mike Bray, spoke about the new facility, saying, “We’re thrilled to be opening this new facility, which represents a major investment in the future of our company. With this new facility, we’ll be able to offer our Canadian customers a more local distribution site with regional sales support while also helping to reduce costs and our GHG emissions by lowering our overall transportation mileage by bringing material directly into Canada vs. our Bolingbrook, IL factory.”

BCFoods Canada is expected to grow significantly over the next few years, with plans to offer our Canadian customers similar production/ storage capabilities as we currently have at our Illinois factory including custom blending, milling, centralized storage and 3PL services.  This will create new jobs in the local community, with positions including production line workers, operations support and quality control technicians.  BCFoods is committed to hiring locally and providing opportunities for growth and advancement within the company.

“Our goal has always been to delight our customers with the highest quality and service at competitive prices, while maintaining a positive work environment for our employees and a commitment towards our sustainability objectives”, says Bray.  “With this new facility, we are confident we’ll continue on this path.” 

For more information, contact Michael Sabo, Director of Operations, North America – michael.sabo@bcfoods.com

As Earth Day approaches, it is important to reflect on the impact that we have on our planet and the steps we can take to protect it. At BCFoods, we believe that sustainability should be a year-round effort, and we are committed to doing our part to preserve the earth for future generations.

BCFoods farms thousands of acres of land to grow tens of thousands of tons of produce. According to the World Resources Institute, only about a quarter of commercial agricultural producers measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions. We not only measure our emissions but also our effects on soil and ground water. We’re proud of the actions we take to reduce our environmental impact.

BCFoods’ Sustainability Efforts

One of the ways we demonstrate our commitment to sustainability is through responsible sourcing. We prioritize local and regional sourcing whenever possible, and we collaborate with suppliers who share our values and commitment to responsible farming practices. We believe that by supporting sustainable agriculture, we can reduce our environmental impact and promote a healthier food system.

In 2021, BCFoods embarked on a project at two local farms in China (over 600 acres) to address unnecessary usage of water and pesticides. Through this project, we helped our farmers to adopt drip irrigation and automation control through the BCFoods Agriculture App and pest risk forecast model. By switching flood irrigation to drip, our farmers reduced water use by 42.5% and reduced pesticide use by 2-3 applications for different seasons, compared to 3 calendar applications/season.

In our manufacturing processes, we prioritize energy efficiency, waste reduction, and water conservation. We use renewable energy sources when possible and continuously seek out new ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Our waste reduction efforts include reducing packaging waste, repurposing byproducts, and recycling wherever possible.

Gold Level Farm Sustainability Assessment

Additionally, BCFoods has achieved Gold Level FSA. The Gold level FSA (Farm Sustainability Assessment) is a certification program that recognizes food companies for their commitment to sustainability. The FSA is a platform developed by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) that helps food companies assess their sustainability performance across various areas, including environmental impact, social responsibility, and economic viability. The Gold level FSA certification is the highest level of certification awarded by the SFTA, and it indicates that a company has achieved a high level of sustainability performance and is committed to continuous improvement.

This Earth Day, we want to remind our customers, suppliers, and partners of our commitment to sustainability and encourage them to join us in protecting the planet.