Data and Investment


Portage la Prairie’s Value Proposition

Home to a growing cluster of agri-food manufacturing operations ranging from single entrepreneur start ups to 350 employee plants, Portage la Prairie is immersed in agricultural production with optimal access to natural resources, major transportation routes and the water capacity to support further industrial growth. This, combined with Manitoba’s competitive hydro electric utility rates, government-funded health care and a strong work ethic of our people create an ideal location for your manufacturing operation.

Current Industrial Presence

Food manufacturing is a leading employer in Portage la Prairie. Recent investment ensures that this capacity will continue to grow in the coming years.

Can-Oat Milling (Richardson-Pioneer)

Portage la Prairie is one of only three strategically placed Richardson Milling sites in western Canada and boasts the most extensive oat supply in North America. Their production includes granola clusters, toasted coated grains, oat bran, whole oat flour and more.

McCain

With an international presence, employing more than 20,000 globally and generating in excess of $9 Million annually in sales, McCain has been a fixture in Portage la Prairie since 1980. The local plant produces French fries – a staple of McCain’s product line. In fact, the company produces so many fries per year that it is estimated that one in three French fries in the world are produced under the McCain brand. Locally, the plant employs 350.

NutriPea

NutriPea has been promoting the benefits of yellow peas as an ingredient in a wide variety of health food products since it opened in Portage la Prairie in 1997. Their products are exported not only to the United States but also to Brazil and Mexico. Operating with a local team of 30, the reach of their plant spans internationally.

Simplot

Located just west of the City on the Trans-Canada Highway, Simplot’s Portage la Prairie facility ships more than 300 Million pounds of frozen French fries and specialty potato products each year to vendors across the continent. Simplot has made its home here since 2003 and serves the restaurant industry across Canada and mangy regions of the United States. The local plant employs 150.

Roquette

Announced in January 2017, construction has begun on Phase One of a proposed five phase pea protein processing facility to be located in the R.M. of Portage la Prairie, directly south of Simplot’s plant. This initial $600 Million investment created ongoing employment for 150 people. Upon the start of production in the Spring of 2019 Roquette will process 125 thousand tonnes of yellow peas per year.

This seventy-acre development represents the largest single investment in Manitoba history, and will result in the largest plant of its kind in the world.