50 new jobs coming to Niagara region city

A company known for producing biodegradable ingredients will be carrying out a $200 million expansion that will create dozens of new jobs in the Niagara region city of Port Colborne. 

Today, the Ontario government and Jungbunzlauer announced that the company, which is headquartered in Switzerland, is breaking ground on Canada’s first xanthan gum facility – a multi-million dollar addition to the brand’s existing footprint in the muncipality.

In a news release, the province said the move will create 50 new jobs and strengthen regional supply chains.

On its website, Jungbunzlauer said this is the start of the first stage of the multi-year project, which is supported by $4.8 million from the Invest Ontario Fund.

“This expansion in Port Colborne marks a significant milestone for our North American business. This site not only reinforces our commitment to providing our partners with top-quality, natural biogums but also highlights our dedication to sustainability and to the local community,” said Bruno Tremblay, Jungbunzlauer CEO, in a news release.

Tremblay made the announcement alongside Premier Doug Ford and other local leaders. 

The province says the investment will enable the company to expand production of xanthan gum to meet rising demand in North America. 

Jungbunzlauer is the only producer of xanthan gum in Canada, which is a fermented sugar that’s used by the food and beverage, health care, animal feed, personal care and other industries to thicken and stabilize products.

The province says It’s expected that the project will increase the demand for Ontario-grown corn.

“With this $200 million investment, Jungbunzlauer is joining agribusiness champions like Maple Leaf Foods, Andriani, Italpasta, First Choice Beverage Inc. and many more who have set down roots or expanded operations in our province,” Rob Flack, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, said in a statement. 

“Ontario’s agribusiness sector now employs over 871,000 men and women while generating almost $51 billion in annual GDP because of world-class investments like these and I look forward to working with Minister Fedeli to attract more.”