New Maple Leaf Foods bakery in Hamilton is Canada's largest

Bread in production at Maple Leaf Foods new 385,000 square foot plant in Hamilton, Ontario

Maple Leaf Foods has officially opened a $100 million, 385,000ft² commercial bakery in Hamilton, Ontario, the largest in Canada. The new facility will support new product innovation and will operate to the highest standards of productivity, quality assurance and environmental management, according to Maple Leaf Foods president and CEO Michael McCain. It has been designed to obtain certification under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) New Construction programme, a green building rating system that covers a set of environmental performance criteria, the company said.

The new plant, which has been operational since July, is capable of producing 240,000 loaves of bread a day but is ramping up production gradually. So far only two of nine production lines have been installed. The entire production process is monitored and controlled from a centralized computer room.

The bakery is part of a four-year, $1.3 billion plan to modernize and becoming more efficient. The company has been investing in its supply chain infrastructure, creating North American scale high-tech facilities. This has meant "sadly" closing three older facilities in the GTA that couldn't compete in the North American industry today. With about 50,000 square feet in the plant set aside to develop new "flour-based" products, the new plant could help boost Maple Leaf’s sales beyond the current $5 billion a year.