Champion Petfoods Breaks Ground on New NorthStar® Kitchens in Alberta, Canada

Champion Petfoods LP held a groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the building of its new state-of-the-art, custom-fitted NorthStar^® Kitchens in Parkland County, Alberta. The new kitchens will be cooking by 2019 and will advance the company’s Biologically Appropriate™ mandate and accommodate the growing global demand for its award-winning pet food brands, ACANA and ORIJEN. Purpose-built from the ground up by Gray Construction Canada Company, Champion’s new NorthStar^® Kitchens will continue to position Champion as a global leader in pet food innovation.

Champion along with Gray, its strategic construction partner for more than three years, will engineer, design and build a 400,000 square foot new NorthStar^® Kitchens situated on 75 acres of farmland. The new NorthStar^® Kitchens will continue serving Champion’s Canadian and export markets, consisting of over 80 countries, by cooking ACANA and ORIJEN kibble and freeze-dry foods and treats, as well as house a full on-site distribution warehouse and logistics center. Champion is committed to its home of Alberta and will continue to invest in building local partnerships and a strong community, and therefore, more than 95 percent of the construction workforce will be staffed locally in Alberta. The new kitchens will also create an estimated 200 jobs once cooking at full capacity.

Champion chose Parkland County as the location for the new kitchens because of their business-friendly focus and strong agricultural community. The location fits not only the technical requirements of a state-of-the-art kitchens, but will also be a great home for ACANA and ORIJEN.

“We are thrilled to officially break ground and begin the process of bringing the world’s best kitchens home,” said Frank Burdzy, president and CEO of Champion Petfoods. “We are excited as these new kitchens will not only allow us to innovate and advance our Biologically Appropriate™ mandate, but also allow us to satisfy pet lovers everywhere who trust us by feeding their pets ACANA and ORIJEN.”

The event included an official groundbreaking ceremony, in which Minister Deron Bilous, Minister Oneil Carlier and Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec spoke along with Burdzy and Peter Muhlenfeld, Champion Petfoods Chief Brand Officer. A farmer’s market spotlighting the same fresh regional ingredients used in Champion’s pet foods were a highlight of the festivities as well as entertainment from Canadian country music recording artist Jeremy Dallas. Guests consisted of local government officials and a host of friends, partners and pet lovers.

Dedicated to pet lovers everywhere, the new NorthStar® Kitchens will bring the world’s best pet food production technologies back to where ACANA and ORIJEN’s story began, our agriculturally vibrant home of Alberta, Canada.

For specific details on the new NorthStar® Kitchens, please email northstarkitchens@championpetfoods.com or call 1-844-922-4267.

About Champion Petfoods

Champion Petfoods is an independent, award-winning Canadian pet food maker with a tradition of innovation and leadership that spans over more than 30 years. Known and trusted among pet lovers everywhere, Champion’s ACANA and ORIJEN brands of Biologically Appropriate™ foods mirror the evolutionary diets of dogs and cats, feature unmatched inclusions of fresh and local ingredients, and are prepared exclusively in the company’s own award-winning kitchens. Its foods, ACANA and ORIJEN, are found in over 80 countries worldwide.

For more information on Champion Petfoods, visit www.championpetfoods.com.

About Gray Construction Canada Company

Gray Construction Canada Company is part of Gray Construction, a leading engineering, architecture and construction firm with nearly 60 years of experience in manufacturing and food and beverage facility design and construction. If you have food and beverage plant construction needs, please contact Phil Seale, executive vice president, manufacturing/food & beverage markets at pseale@gray.com. Or, contact Tyler Cundiff, director of business development, Food & Beverage Group at tcundiff@gray.com.

For more information on Gray Construction Canada Company, visit www.gray.com/about-gray/gray-construction-canada-company.