Lactalis Canada opens R&D centre in Ingleside, Ontario

Lactalis Canada inaugurated the facility on October 20, 2026, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour attended by company executives, government representatives and industry officials. The centre is located next to the company’s cheese-processing plant in Ingleside.

The site contains pilot-scale capabilities and dedicated areas for testing and evaluation. Lactalis Canada said the centre would support the development, testing and refinement of cheese products and related technologies near industrial production.

Sandra Senez, Lactalis North America’s vice-president for research and development, said the facility was expected to become a Lactalis Group global expertise centre for cheddar cheese. She said work carried out there would serve the company’s wider network as well as operations in Ingleside.

Mark Taylor, Lactalis Canada’s president and chief executive, said the company had made four strategic acquisitions since 2018 and invested more than $900m in manufacturing, distribution and transformation projects across Canada. He described the Ingleside centre as part of the company’s investment in dairy and food manufacturing in the country.

Lactalis Canada operates more than 30 sites in Canada, including 19 manufacturing facilities, and employs more than 4,500 people. Its brands include Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, P’tit Québec, Balderson, Astro, Lactantia, Galbani and Président.

The company is part of Lactalis Group, a dairy producer headquartered in Laval, France. Lactalis Canada said it has more than 140 years of brand history and works with farmers, customers, suppliers and other partners across Canada.