A poultry powerhouse that punches above its weight
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and supported by the latest technology, ADP Direct Poultry group is a one-stop poultry solution for retailers. With cutting-edge facilities, a relentless focus on food safety, and the agility to pivot quickly to meet its customers’ specific needs, it’s rewriting the rules of efficiency and responsiveness.
“We're very much selling what customers are looking for and working with them to meet their needs,” says CEO and owner Augo Pinho, who started his career in the chicken industry at age 18, delivering poultry products to independent supermarkets in Toronto.
“We're not going to push our branded products to a retailer, for example, if we believe that packing under their brand is the right thing for them. We're focused on helping customers identify their gaps and then delivering an affordable solution.”
Operating several facilities in the Greater Toronto Area—including a new, state-of-the-art plant specializing in breaded and fully cooked products—this family-owned, vertically integrated company is redefining what it means to deliver quality and innovation in an industry that is growing.
“Compared to other proteins, the market growth in chicken is extremely strong,” says Pinho.
Indeed, per capita consumption of poultry by Canadian consumers was 35.8 kilograms in 2021, up from 33.4 kilograms in 2017, and it is projected to increase to 37.0 kilograms by 2026, according to Agriculture Canada. During that same time, processed poultry meat grew by a CAGR of 4.4%.
“Consumers want more affordable, easy-to-prepare or ready-made options, like breaded products, but there’s been a shortfall in facilities capable of meeting those needs. We’ve invested in the right technologies and collaborate with our partners to meet those needs and stay on top of trends,” Pinho says.
High-tech for efficiency and food safety
Emerging technologies are transforming the poultry industry, tackling challenges such as food safety, waste, traceability and transparency. Here are just some of those technologies ADP Direct Poultry uses in their different facilities
Marel machinery and software: Offers latest capabilities in terms of yield, throughput, quality, capacity and labour efficiency with a range of machines designed for specific tasks, like cutting, weighing, or packaging; Integrated digital systems optimize intelligent production planning, predictive maintenance, waste reduction, and real-time decision-making.
Innova food safety system: Collects data from every stage of the processing line, providing real-time, end-to-end traceability of products, recording data from raw materials to final packaged goods; It analyzes the data to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks or deviations, and helps ensure food safety by allowing quick identification of potential issues.
Eagle X-ray bone detection: Capable of detecting bone fragments as tiny as one millimetre in size in boneless meat.
Reiser Variovac Optimus thermoformer: Packs 10 trays per minute at a constant temperature of 400°C to make clean, consistent seals and extend product shelf life to 15 to 16 days, to ensure freshness and reduce food waste.
Radiofrequency defrosting: Can take a frozen 20 kg block of raw material from -18 degrees C to -3 degrees C in under 30 minutes without affecting the quality of the product for increased efficiencies.
Ozone technology: Uses ozone gas (O₃) as a disinfectant in the air and in water to kill pathogens, maintain hygiene, and improve environmental conditions in poultry processing and storage for enhanced food safety.
Retail, private label, foodservice
ADP Direct Poultry group of companies has grown to include Direct Poultry, Premium Foods, Simple Path Farms, Canadian Premium Foods and Atlantic Canada’s Bonté Foods, a leading processor of deli meats and Costa produce, a processor of peeled potato items. While about 70% of the business is retail, the company also serves foodservice and private label.
Today, ADP operates six federally inspected production facilities, producing a highly diverse and comprehensive product portfolio of raw and cooked products including fresh whole chickens, parts, breaded frozen cutlets, wings, strips and nuggets, marinated products, as well as Halal and organic products, and non-poultry products.
The newest, brightest, and most automated of all the facilities was opened in August 2024 in Brampton, Ont., and fills the one gap that remained, which was batter/breading capability, to address the fully cooked, in-demand products customers want.
ADP has invested in technically advanced manufacturing equipment from manufacturers such as Marel, JJBT, Reiser, and Eagle, for flexible, efficient processing. The Brampton plant is the first further processing chicken facility in North America to include the integrated Innova production and quality assurance software system. Another first, present in most of its facilities, is ozone technology, which kills potential pathogens.
“We're a medium-sized company but with the technology we've got we punch way above our weight,” says Claudio Neves, VP of Operations. “The Innova system is brand-new technology and we're first the poultry processing facility in North America to have it—it puts us at the top when it comes to food safety.”
Real-time traceability
The software system provides full traceability and tracks items throughout processing and packaging, to maintain quality control and precision for temperatures, dew points and more, and to send real-time prompts or alerts.
“It’s an extra layer of food safety. It encompasses our QA and QC checks and CCPs and makes them paperless and in real time. It gives full visibility throughout the day and full control on different parameters across the process,” says Neves.
Pinho emphasizes that the technologies not only bring food safety to a new level, they also allow the company to do what it does best: solve customer problems quickly and serve them with speed, efficiencies and flexibility.
“We can react very, very quickly for customers,” says John Febrey, Director of Sales & Marketing. “We’re the company customers call when they get into trouble with supply. We get calls, ‘Hey, can you help us out of the jam?’ That happens every single day.”
Adds Pinho: “We've built the company on what we call the 9-1-1 business. We can do quick changes to get product on the same day, or within hours, into local stores or warehouses. That is a massive differentiator for us.”
Looking ahead to the future, ADP’s vision is to continue to seek out opportunities to meet the changing needs of customers and consumers. With its trademark growth focus, Pinho says, the team plans to continue to diversify its value-added products and get into home-delivered meal solutions.
“We have some unique products coming out in the near future,” says Pinho. “But right now, we are eager and ready to collaborate with customers.”
And, as always, ready for those 9-1-1 calls.
Call 416-749-0911 or visit premiumfoodsdirectpoultry.ca to learn more.