Kraft Heinz says production of iconic ketchup to return to Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press

Kraft Heinz says the production of Heinz Ketchup is returning to Canada, with the company's Montreal factory set to begin making the iconic condiment next summer.

The ketchup maker says the decision to move production back to Canada from the U.S. comes after a joint investment between Kraft Heinz Canada and the Quebec government's business expansion program.

The $17 million investment includes a $2 million forgivable loan from the province.

The project is expected to create 30 new jobs and help maintain about 750 existing positions at the company's flagship Mont Royal facility.

Bruno Keller, president of Kraft Heinz Canada, says the partnership with Quebec and increased efficiencies at the company's Mont Royal facility made it possible to return the popular product to Canada.

The new ketchup line is expected to produce over 45 million kilograms of Heinz Ketchup for Canadian consumers in the first two years alone as production ramps up.

The company moved its ketchup production to the U.S. after selling its Leamington, Ont., factory to Highbury Canco in 2015.