Chilliwack – On the heels of Molson Coors setting up shop in Chilliwack, comes another major business announcement.
The City of Chilliwack and the Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO) announced their welcome to the Pacific Dairy Centre to Chilliwack. Construction is underway on a new 30,000 square foot facility, located on Chilliwack Mountain Road, adjacent to the Progress Way Industrial Park.
Founded in 1986, Pacific Dairy Centre is an agricultural based business that serves the dairy farm community in the Fraser Valley, Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. They specialize in creating custom designed waste management systems and milking parlours. Their automation equipment to harvest milk and manage dairy herds utilizes the latest technology in Robotic Milking systems, with the largest robotic rotary milking parlour in North America recently installed at Chilliwack’s Gracemar Farms.
The dairy industry is big business for British Columbia, and specifically the Fraser Valley. According to the BC Dairy Association, British Columbia’s dairy producers represent the third largest dairy-producing province in Canada (Quebec and Ontario are the largest) with an average herd-size of 135 animals per farm. There are just under 500 dairy farms in British Columbia, with over 140 located in Chilliwack. The industry is primarily operated by multi-generational family farmers.
“Pacific Dairy Centre is excited about the opportunity to continue to serve the dairy industry from our new Chilliwack facility,” said John Bruinsma, Sales Manager. “We believe our investment will give us room to grow, while ensuring dairy farmers have access to some of the best technologies available to their industry.”
“We have appreciated the support of CEPCO and City of Chilliwack staff during our search for a suitable new location for Pacific Dairy Centre,” said Garry Franz, General Manager.” The ability to get things done quickly and efficiently in Chilliwack, combined with lower taxes and development costs were important factors in our decision to locate in Chilliwack.”
“The dairy industry in Chilliwack is a major contributor to our local economy,” said Brian Coombes, CEPCO President. “Having an agricultural technology company like Pacific Dairy Centre locate in our community is a valuable addition to the network of businesses that support agriculture in Chilliwack,” added Coombes.
