New snack corn processor to start up in Chatham

Monday, May 30, 2011

by PAT CURRIE

A new plant that will process local corn into snack food – much of it to go to a company in Detroit – and employ 13-15 workers is being launched in Chatham.

With the help of a $299,612 Ontario Rural Economic Development grant, Dover Corn Products Ltd., owned by businessman Gerald Lozon, has installed a modern corn mill to produce high-end corn products in what used to be a Redpath Sugar plant.

"We hope to be up and running in about a month," said office administrator Crissey Aarssen.

The new corn-milling plant was designed and built by Jozsef Alberti, plant manager/engineer for GrandPaPa's Canister Snacks Inc. of Detroit, which will be the main customer for Dover’s output of ground and bagged Kent County corn.

Dover expects to purchase 6,000 acres of corn from local farmers and generate nearly $6 million in sales in it first year. Two future phases of expansion "are our main goal if everything goes as planned," Aarssen said.

"The retrofitted facility will boast modern processing equipment, and will be the first corn processing operation of its kind in all of Ontario," said Pat Hoy, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex. "

"This project will benefit all of Chatham-Kent with new marketing opportunities for farmers and additional employment in Chatham as well," said Maria Van Bommel, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and Parliamentary Assistant to Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell. BF