Federal govt. invests $27M in Bartek Ingredients

The federal government is investing $27 million through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) in Bartek Ingredients, a producer of food-grade acids. This investment supports Bartek’s $192.5 million project to construct a new food ingredient manufacturing facility in the Hamilton area, Ont.

The new manufacturing facility is expected to feature cutting-edge process equipment and innovation, new product development capacities, and sophisticated energy management systems as well as Industry 4.0 innovations such as automation, advanced analytics, cloud computing and machine learning. The project will enable Bartek to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from existing levels while reducing its water consumption levels annually.

Bartek will also establish a new centre of excellence in acids production and product development, and it will carry out research on novel alternative plant-based and fermentation-based production methods.

“This investment in state-of-the-art food manufacturing technology will help Canada meet global demands for food-grade acids, while strengthening the sector, boosting the Canadian economy and providing opportunities throughout the entire value chain. We are pleased to partner with industry to ensure Canada remains on the cutting edge of innovative, efficient and stable production,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

“This transformational investment will uniquely position Bartek as a leading global supplier of malic- and fumaric-based solutions for the foreseeable future. Bartek’s expanded capability and focus on innovation will accelerate the growth of our Canadian and International customer base and expand our addressable end-markets,” added
Andrew Ross, CEO, Bartek Ingredients.

Bartek Ingredients is the only company in North America with integrated end-to-end operations in the production of malic and fumaric acid. It is the world’s largest malic and fumaric acid producer. Malic acid is used in food products such as candies, soft drinks and bakery products, whereas fumaric acid is used in both food and industrial applications.