The Little Potato Company and Leduc County officials celebrated the start of construction on a more than 200,000 square foot packaging facility and head office, a USD25m investment that will allow the local family business to expand production of its renowned creamer potatoes.

“This is a significant step for The Little Potato Company, which my Dad and I founded together in Edmonton more than 25 years ago. With the incredible support of our community, we are honored to continue to grow our business here and provide fresh, nutritious food to families across North America,” said Angela Santiago, CEO of The Little Potato Company.

Construction officially kicked off in April, supporting dozens of jobs in the region.

“Demand continues to grow for our little potatoes because they can be on the table in as little as five minutes, allowing families more time for what matters. Boosting packing capacity in the capital region of Alberta will allow us to meet the demand by investing in growing more potatoes on family farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan,” Sanford Gleddie, executive vice president of sales, marketing & business development mentioned.

The cutting-edge potato packaging facility in Leduc County will be built to replace the current plant in Edmonton. It will enable the company to offer a wider range of products and use cutting-edge technology to ensure the highest quality potatoes.

“This packaging facility could help us reach millions as we bring little potatoes grown on our prairie farms to dinner tables from Ontario to British Columbia, Montana to New Mexico,” Scott Hine, executive vice president of agriculture & operations added.

The facility will have solar panels that will provide one full gigawatt of power per year while also reducing water consumption by recycling and cleaning the water it uses. This was critical for Frank Santiago, Director of Capital Assets, who was designing the machine plan for the new facility.

“Taking care of the land for future generations is one of our biggest priorities as the leaders of a family-based business and the parents of four children,” Santiago declared.

“On behalf of Leduc County, it’s my pleasure to welcome The Little Potato Company to the Nisku Business Park. Leduc County is home to a rapidly growing food processing sector, and The Little Potato Company is a perfect example of how industry and agriculture can come together and succeed. The County views The Little Potato Company as a flagship for value-added agriculture in the region, and we know our location and business-friendly processes will help in the continued success of the company,” Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko said.

Construction of the facility is expected to be complete early next year, with operations scheduled to begin in May 2023.