A seafood processing plant north of Campbell River is getting funding to create more environmentally-friendly packaging.
The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is providing $6.6 million in funding to food and beverage companies around the province to help them stay competitive, and create jobs.
Brown’s Bay Packing Company will receive up to $430,000 to install new machinery to manufacture sustainable seafood packaging as an alternative to petroleum-based products. It will apply to the company’s Seawise brand, and will create 12 jobs.
Company CEO Jesse Knight says it will help the plant embrace the transition from salmon processing to sustainable seafood packaging, and keep quality jobs on the north Island.
He says it will also support the local economy and develop innovative alternatives to Styrofoam and single-use plastics.
Other projects funded this round include:
- Surrey – Prabu Foods Inc. is a manufacturer of south-Asian vegetarian sweets and salted snacks. It will receive as much as $662,000 to expand its manufacturing capacity by more than four times and expand into new markets through the establishment of a new facility, while creating 30 jobs.
- Delta – North Delta Seafoods Inc. is a processor and distributor of fresh and frozen seafood products harvested in B.C. It will receive as much as $550,000 to expand its processing to include fresh and frozen ready-to-eat packaged seafood meals for the retail and food-service markets. The project will create 26 jobs.
- Delta – Trafa Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a nutraceutical and natural-health supplement contract manufacturer, specializing in tablets, capsules and powders. It will receive as much as $500,000 to support its expansion to a larger location, the purchase of new equipment and clean-room renovations to scale up its operations, increase production and diversify product offerings. The project will create 20 jobs.
- Victoria – Vitamin-One Formulas Inc. (DBA VitaminLab) creates personalized all-in-one supplements for individuals, patients and practitioners. It will receive as much as $425,000 to build a larger National Sanitation Foundation-certified smart factory and purchase innovative automated equipment to scale production, meet growing demand and create 15 to 20 jobs.
