REGINA, SASK. — Purity Protocol gluten-free oats processor Avena Foods Ltd. announced it will begin construction of a new oat processing facility.

The new facility, located in Rowatt, Sask., will more than double Avena’s current production capacity of conventional and certified-organic oats. It will open next year and work in tandem with the company’s existing oat mill in Regina.

“This expansion builds on the achievements of the pedigreed seed farmers who founded Avena,” said Gord Flaten, chief executive officer of Avena Foods. “We look forward to the benefits it will provide our customers, local farmers, and staff.”

Avena Foods Ltd. was founded in 2008 by farmers growing gluten-free oats for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.  It has three locations in Canada producing a variety of pet food ingredients, dietary fibers, whole and split pulses as well as gluten-free oats, flours and grit.