08/09/07: The last canning factory

Ontario’s last canning factory closed its doors on June 27, 2008, after 112 years of operation in the Niagara Peninsula.[1] The Del Monte fruit cannery in St.David’s, formerly under the Kraft Foods umbrella[2], was bought out in 2006 by CanGro – a company formed by two U.S.-based corporations, Sun Capital and EG Capital Group.[3] The factory, and its 150 workers, subsequently fell subject to the harsh impartiality of businessmen more interested in share-holder profits than quality produce. Though Niagara’s “prime” farmland is designated in the top 5% of all land in Canada, and Niagara peaches are arguably the best in the world, from now on, Canadians will be eating canned peaches grown and processed in China.[4] The estimated $1 million dollars extra annual “savings” for CanGro[5] was apparently enough to lure them away from helping save Canada’s agricultural industry.


[1] Walkom, Thomas. “Ontario’s neglected cornucopia,” The Star. April 23, 2008.
[2] Walkom, Thomas. “Ontario’s neglected cornucopia,” The Star. April 23, 2008.
[3] Marr. Lisa Grace. “CanGro’s Shock Waves,” Hamilton Spectator. June 28, 2008.
[4] Marr. Lisa Grace. “CanGro’s Shock Waves,” Hamilton Spectator. June 28, 2008.
[5] Estimate calculated by Tompkins Associates, a consulting firm affiliated with Sun Capital.
http://www.tompkinsinc.com/collateral/case_studies/CanGroFoods.pdf