Lassonde invests $10 million in innovative fruit-concentrate production line at Rougemont plant

Lassonde Industries Inc. is inaugurating its first fruit-concentrate bag-in-a-box production line at one of its Rougemont, Que. plants.

Representing an investment of more than $10 million, the new line produces formats containing a flexible inner bag designed to hold fruit concentrates, suitable for a range of commercial and institutional clients, including quick-service restaurants, convenience stores, manufacturers such as microbreweries, distilleries and caterers, as well as other food-service operators across North America.

“This new line enables us to respond more quickly, with greater precision, to the needs of our current and future commercial, industrial and institutional clients,” says Vince Timpano, chief executive officer of Lassonde. “It offers an assortment of packaging formats that our clients have asked for, and a solution that will help them deliver more value to their own customers.”

This latest production expansion for Lassonde gives the company the flexibility to provide larger volumes of products in practical, cost-efficient formats.

“With these new formats, we can deliver larger quantities of concentrates and recipe mixes that can be easily combined on site to produce drinks, sauces or other products exactly as intended,” added Suzanne Aubry, vice-president of North America Food Service for Lassonde. “It’s a win for our clients, their customers and us and truly embodies our motto that creativity bears fruit.”

Bag-in-a-box packaging has grown in popularity in recent years across wholesale and food-service markets, due to its practicality, reduced waste, and ease of handling. Lassonde is among only a few companies in North America to introduce this type of production line.