Lassonde looks to boost competitiveness in U.S.

Quebec-headquartered Lassonde Industries Inc. is investing around US$200 million over two years to construct a new beverage manufacturing facility in New Jersey.

The investment is part of a new capital investment program to improve the agri-food company’s competitiveness in the U.S.

Located on a site adjacent to the company’s existing plant, the facility will span 200,000 square-feet. It will replace the former facility. 

Construction is slated to begin in early 2025 and wrap up in 2027.

"Lassonde is proud to launch an important investment program to strengthen its position as one of the leading North American fruit juice and drink manufacturers," said Vince Timpano, CEO of Lassonde Industries, in a release. "Since entering the U.S. market, we have methodically expanded our footprint and our initiatives will support further expansion of both our private label and branded beverage activities, while improving our profitability. Over the longer term, this investment program will offer the potential to add further production capacity and new capabilities to meet market opportunities."

Lassonde also plans to invest an additional $20 million in its facility in North Carolina, following a recent $53 million investment to expand single-serve capabilities at the plant.

That includes bringing certain owned production assets currently deployed at a co-packer facility in-house.

That project is expected to be completed in 2025.