Diageo adds new can line to Quebec facility
By Canadian Packaging staff
General DiageoValleyfield plant benefits from $6.4-million investment for ready-to-drink products.
VALLEYFIELD, QUEBEC—Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, has announced the addition of a new canning line at its facility in Valleyfield, Quebec.
The $6.4 million investment will usher in canning capabilities to the site which distills and bottles a wide range of Diageo brands. Construction of the line is underway, and is expected to be completed in a couple of months.
The company plans to utilize the new line to can a range of ready-to-drink products, such as Smirnoff Ice Slim Cans (see image at top), Bevé, Jeremiah Weed flavors, and yet-to-be-released innovations.
Products canned on the new line will be available in Canada, and will increase the total annual volume at the site by half of a million cases per year.
“The popularity of the ready-to-drink segment is driving growth, particularly in Canada,” says Valleyfield director of operations Michel Charpentier. “Having the ability to produce cans in our own facility will enable us to meet the demand for ready-to-drink products more efficiently, and make it possible for innovations to go to market faster and more cost-effectively.”
Diageo Canada president Jakob Ripshtein adds, “Our ready-to-drink business continues to grow across all provinces, particularly with our Bevé and Smirnoff Ice brands. “This new line demonstrates our commitment to the long-term success of these brands and this format.”
Currently employees at the Valleyfield site oversee the distillation and bottling of a number of Diageo brands that are for sale in Canada and the U.S.
Valleyfield was acquired in 2008 and it is one of several Canadian production facilities owned by the company, including Diageo’s largest North American distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, most notably known as the home of the iconic Crown Royal Whisky brand.
Both the Valleyfield and Gimli facilities support renewable gas captured from landfills, which is serving to reduce the sites’ carbon footprints by more than 80 percent and 95 percent, respectively.
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories and sold in over 180 countries. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.
For company information, visit www.diageo.com.
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