Canada’s first-ever infant formula factory has officially opened its new state-of-the-art facility in Kingston.

Canada Royal Milk’s grand opening on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, is a significant event for the local dairy industry and community, according to organizers. Key speakers — including representatives from the federal and provincial governments, the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and the company itself — highlighted the importance of this milestone. The facility is expected to create new jobs and support market growth in response to recent infant formula shortages. In a show of commitment to community support, Canadian Royal Milk also announced a $10,000 donation to the United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A).

According to a release, the new facility, which spans 320,000 square feet, employs more than 160 local, high-skilled employees who handle everything from compliance to production, marketing, and engineering. The workforce is anticipated to continue growing as production ramps up to meet demand.

The ceremony was hosted by Chenggang Han, General Manager of Canada Royal Milk, who called the first speaker, Jacques Laforge, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC). He greeted Jennifer May, Canada’s ambassador to China, and Youbin Leng, Chairman/CEO/Executive Director at China Feihe Ltd., the parent company of Canada Royal Milk.

Laforge said that he had known Leng for eight years, and that even though they couldn’t speak together without an interpreter, they “certainly understand each other” now. But it wasn’t always so, he joked.

“I have to tell you, the first day I met the chairman… we started to talk to see if they would invest in Canada, and so on. And after five or 10 minutes of discussion, the chairman kept talking about goat milk. Now, remember, he was talking to the CEO of the Canadian Dairy Commission, and then I said, ‘Why is he talking about goat milk?’… But at the end of the conversation, it became clear, and the reason I refer to this because what you see here has tremendous potential for the goat farming industry.”

Leng addressed those assembled through an interpreter, saying, “I’m very excited and very grateful to see leaders from the Canadian Embassy, the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, leaders from governments and industry associations at all levels in Canada, friends from Kingston, partners from the Chinese and Canadian financial communities, as well as all the media and friends gathered here today.”

“It took over eight years and a total investment of over $380 million Canadian to build the most innovative world-class, most technologically advanced, as well as innovative manufacturing facility in all of North America. And after eight years, this vision has finally been fulfilled,” Leng said.

He explained, “The reason why we chose Kingston to invest and to locate our facility is because of the support we received from all the various dairy associations and governments at all levels, especially the relationship we have with Jacques and the CDC, and the sincerity that we could see and the shared vision for the dairy industry.”

“So we decided to come to Kingston, second of all, in regards to the long history and relationship and friendship between China and Canada — especially with Bethune having been in China for a long time, and this historical relationship and friendly support that we’ve had for each other,” he said, apparently referencing Dr. Norman Bethune, the Canadian surgeon who became something of a hero in China by helping to bring modern medicine to rural China.

“Third is because of the excellent geographical location,” Leng continued. “It’s located in the core area in the dairy regions of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec. So there’s a two-hour production where the fresh milk can arrive safely at the facility, ensuring the safety and quality of the products produced.”

“And fourth, it’s adjacent to the Great Lakes, so there’s a superior ecological environment and resources,” he concluded, noting that Kingston’s position on Lake Ontario means the Canada Royal Milk facility can serve not only as a manufacturing facility, but also “really open up the tourism, so that people can… come and enjoy and look at the facility, learn about how infant formula is made, and really be able to promote the brand and promote the dairy industry.”

Canada Royal Milk’s General Manager of the Kingston facility, Chenggang Han, then addressed those assembled.

“Seven years ago, Canada Royal Milk broke ground in the City of Kingston, kicking off a lengthy construction and approval process. To say it’s been a journey to get to where we are today would be an understatement, but we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the establishment of Canada’s first infant formula manufacturing facility,” he said.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic delayed our ability to open our doors to the community, the hard work of our dedicated employees never stopped. We are pleased to announce that our production line is busy preparing for the cross-Canada retail launch of Niuriss, our infant formula product.”

Thanking “the efforts of our community partners and our employees,” Han said that Canada now has “the most modern and advanced infant formula facility in North America right here in Kingston.”

“We are well positioned to be a major player in the market, and we hold ourselves to the highest standard when it comes to supporting the health and nourishment of families across the country,” he concluded.

As part of the grand opening, Canada Royal Milk donated $10,000 to United Way of KFL&A. This is in addition to donating 5,000 cans of infant formula — with a commercial value of $200,000 — to the charity in May.

John DiPaolo, President and CEO of United Way KFLA, and Joanne Langlois, 2024 United Way Campaign Chair, accepted the company’s cheque.

“It humbles me knowing that we’ve got a community partner like Canada Royal Milk that is so integrated into our community so quickly,” DiPaolo said.

“We live in a very generous community, but unfortunately there are still children that are born into situations that they don’t choose, and their families struggle. With this donation of infant formula and with this cash contribution as well, we’re pleased to say that hundreds of infants will start their lives off right with some high-quality formula and get the support that they need. So on behalf of the United Way, on behalf of the entire community: thank you.”

After receiving the long-awaited final approval from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency last March to begin production, Canada Royal Milk launched Niuriss, the company’s inaugural infant formula product, for sale online. According to the release, the company is now focused on finalizing retail agreements, expecting the product to be on store shelves next month. Canada Royal Milk said it is committed to delivering infant formula that adheres to the highest global quality and safety standards. Each container contains premium ingredients and locally sourced Canadian milk, free from artificial growth hormones and antibiotics, according to the company.

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