Congebec, a specialist in the handling and logistics of food products, is preparing for years of growth with the opening of a refrigerated warehouse in the North Shore, its first major investment in the Montreal region in ages.
Posted yesterday at 6:38 p.m.
With its partners Rosefellow and the real estate investment fund Skyline, Congebec, from Quebec, is building a freezer worth $70 million in the Mascouche industrial park, at the corner of rue Louis-Blériot and station avenue.
“It’s an act of faith, confides to The Press President and CEO Nicholas-P. Pedneault. It’s been a long time since we’ve made a major investment in Quebec. It’s been almost 20 years since we made an investment in the Montreal region. We are not the only ones not to have invested in it. Montreal had lagged a little behind in its growth in agri-food processing compared to Toronto, he observes.
MAP PROVIDED BY CONGEBEC
The site of the future Congebec warehouse.
Mr. Pedneault believes that the food policy pursued by the Quebec government is paving the way for strong growth. “Food autonomy means that distributors and producers will want to build up strategic stocks close to their major markets,” he says.
“My clients are agri-food processors,” continues Mr. Pedneault. They are the ones we are going to support in their growth to enable them to freeze their products and distribute them all over the world.
“We want the agri-food industry to continue to grow in Quebec,” continues the businessman. Industry needs access to our space to freeze and store products.
Little known, the family business was created in 1974 and operates, including that of Mascouche, 13 industrial freezers, including 7 in Quebec. It will eventually employ 600 people.
Present in five provinces, Congebec has annual revenues of over $100 million. Each year, the equivalent of more than 2 billion dollars in food products passes through its freezers.
The new 20,345 square meter (219,000 square foot) building will be cooled with CO2, safer, according to the company, than ammonia-based systems. The warehouse will remain owned by Ontario-based Skyline Commercial REIT and Montreal-based developer Rosefellow.
Since 2018, Congebec has ceded ownership of its freezer walls to Skyline. The logistics specialist prefers to concentrate on her job as a handler.
“This first foray into the North Shore of Montreal marks an important step for Rosefellow,” co-founder Mike Jager said in a statement. We chose Mascouche because it is a proactive city in terms of development. »