GK Foods and Services Ltd — a subsidiary of GraceKennedy Ltd — will open its sixth manufacturing plant next year to support demand from North America and United Kingdom markets.
The 60,000-square-foot facility in Denbigh, Clarendon, will produce a range of conveniently portioned and packaged locally grown fruits and vegetables primarily for export markets. The new plant will also be used for further processing of locally grown products into value-added finished goods.
Group CEO of GraceKennedy Ltd Don Wehby, in a press release posted on the Jamaica Stock Exchange website, said the company has been working towards acquisition of the Clarendon-based property since late 2015.
“I am pleased that we can now officially put this well-placed facility to productive use. This plant, our sixth manufacturing plant in Jamaica, will be another channel for farmers to supply goods that are in high demand in North American and UK markets,” he said.
According to GraceKennedy, a total of $215 million will be spent on the acquisition of agro-processing equipment, installing blast-freezing capability, refurbishing and upgrading the facility and property, implementing a waste water management system, and funding product research and development.
The new facility will also feature a specialised agro-processing production line that will be augmented with equipment and fully commissioned by mid-2018.
GraceKennedy expects to boost employment numbers by 70 people with the commissioning of the new factory. Its subsidiary Grace Foods is currently supplied by hundreds of farmers across the country with meat, fruits and vegetables.
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