WINNIPEG, MAN. — Horizon Milling G.P., a partnership formed by Cargill and CHS, unveiled plans to build a new flour mill in Guelph, Ont. The facility is expected to be open in the next three years and will be built on a 27-acre site Horizon Milling recently purchased, the company said.

Once constructed, the flour mill primarily will serve Horizon Milling’s food processing customers in the southwestern Ontario market. Horizon said grain will be sourced predominately from Canadian farmers in both eastern and western Canada.

The project will increase Horizon Milling’s Canadian production by up to 30%. Currently Horizon operates flour mills in Montreal and Saskatoon, Sask., with daily wheat flour capacity of 16,500 cwts and 14,000 cwts, respectively. Horizon acquired the mills from J.M. Smucker Co. in July 2006. A third mill obtained in that deal, at Port Colborne, Ont., was shut down in 2008.

This project will be the company’s first new mill built in Canada since it entered Canadian flour milling in 2006.

“Our new mill will represent the future in flour mills,” said Dan Dye, president of Horizon Milling. “As a completely new complex, we will incorporate the latest technologies in the industry and design the site to allow farmers easy access for deliveries and efficient rail and truck loading systems, among other innovations. We look forward to starting the project and working closely with the community in the coming years to make it a reality.”

Horizon Milling anticipates bringing 15 to 20 new jobs to Guelph as the facility nears completion. Cargill currently employs more than 1,500 people in Guelph at its Meat Solutions and Case Ready businesses.
In addition to its two mills in Canada, Horizon operates 18 wheat flour mills in the United States with total U.S. wheat flour capacity of 270,500 cwts, making it the largest flour milling company in the United States.