TORONTO — Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is closing two plant-based products manufacturing plants in Seattle and Turners Falls, Mass. That will leave the company with one plant-protein processing facility in Indianapolis.
“Over the past several years, we have taken significant action to improve the performance of our plant protein business, and we have made meaningful progress,” said Curtis Frank, president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Foods. “But the category has changed significantly, and declining volumes have left our manufacturing network substantially underutilized. Maintaining three facilities at these utilization levels creates structural costs that are not sustainable over the long term.”
The consolidation of the manufacturing network is expected to occur in phases over approximately 12 to 18 months, with targeted completion in the fourth quarter of 2027, the company said.
“Consolidating production in Indianapolis will significantly improve the economics of our manufacturing network and is an important step toward creating a structurally stronger and sustainably profitable plant protein business,” Frank said. “It also represents another important step in executing our ‘fuel for growth’ plan and delivering our 2030 financial ambitions.”
Plant-based foods brands owned by the company include Field Roast, Lightlife and Yves Veggie Cuisine. The brands produce a range of applications, including plant-based meats, tempeh and vegan cheese.
“This decision does not change our commitment to the plant protein category,” Frank said. “In fact, we believe it strengthens the foundation of the business. Our recent relaunch of Yves Veggie Cuisine is complementary to this strategy, bringing a leading brand and additional volume into our portfolio and helping us create greater scale and improve the economics of our consolidated manufacturing footprint.”
On Sept. 14, Maple Leaf Foods relaunched the Yves Veggie Cuisine brand in Canada with five products, including veggies ground round, Mexican veggie ground round, veggie ham, veggie bologna and veggie turkey.
