Cavendish buys Maple Leaf Potatoes

Cavendish Farms announced this week it had concluded an agreement to buy the assets of Maple Leaf Potatoes, the frozen potato business of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., including a 142,000-square foot processing facility in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The transaction is expected to close by year-end 2012.

“Cavendish Farms is focused on growth opportunities that are a good fit for our existing business. This announcement will result in a more competitive Cavendish with stronger capabilities to service our customers from coast to coast in North America. It enhances our national distribution network in the foodservice and retail sectors in Canada and builds on our strong position in the United States,” said Robert Irving, president of Cavendish Farms and co-CEO of J.D. Irving, Limited.

The company expects to retain all employees currently working at the Lethbridge plant in addition to international employees. Cavendish Farms will continue to produce and market all products formerly offered by Maple Leaf Potatoes in the near term and will seek to retain all existing customer relationships.

Cavendish Farms operates a potato-processing plant in Jamestown.

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