True North Foods in Carman, which is Manitoba’s only federally certified ruminant processing facility, recently announced the completion of a 32,500 square-foot facility expansion featuring the installation of the cutting-edge Rapid Organic Converter (ROC) Technology by Innovative NRG of Manitoba.
This project received nearly $1.4 million in federal support through the Agricultural Clean Technology Program, delivered by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada.
“Businesses like True North Foods know the importance of taking care of the environment and staying on the cutting edge of technology and innovation,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “Our federal investment through the Agricultural Clean Technology Program will help them make their operations even more sustainable – helping the planet and their bottom line.”
This advancement positions True North Foods at the forefront of environmental sustainability within the meat processing industry, significantly enhancing both operational efficiency and environmental stewardship in Manitoba.
The new Rapid Organic Converter (ROC) Technology, a hybrid gasification system, revolutionizes waste management by converting all organic waste into clean thermal energy. This autonomous, flameless process generates on-site clean thermal energy that can heat water or buildings, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The ROC also minimizes landfill use and reduces transportation-related emissions by processing waste at its source, significantly reducing True North Foods’ carbon footprint.
“ROC technology was one cornerstone of our plant expansion,” stated Calvin Vaags, President and CEO of True North Foods. “We needed to expand to meet customer demand for Manitoba Beef, so we took a thoughtful approach to expansion in order to expand in a way that is sustainable long-term economically and environmentally.”
True North Foods has offered producers a made-in-Manitoba option for slaughtering Manitoba-raised beef for about ten years. It is now the only federally certified beef slaughterhouse between Alberta and Ontario and the only one with Canadian ownership.
“Expansion provides significant growth opportunities,” said Vaags. “Grow volume goes from 700 per week to 2,000 per week (after adding a second shift), with the capability to process organic, halal, kosher and grass-fed beef. Additionally, we’ve added value to production by processing pet food ingredients. The ROC technology provides significant carbon reduction by diverting waste from landfills. It will also produce energy which we can use to offset natural gas for hot water.”
Vargas notes that this project has been under development for two years and that it has a large economic impact on Carman, as True North Foods is the town’s largest employer.
“We’re very excited to have this completed as it opens many new doors for the company. We make a point of using local trades as much as possible. The project was $14 million in total, and a significant portion of that went to contractors in the municipality.”
