Food Processing

With the prominence of agriculture in Chilliwack, the area is ideal for food processing. For food processors, Chilliwack has become a desirable location due to its bountiful source of raw materials and proximity to major transportation and distribution points.
Chilliwack has a very high percentage of agricultural operations, with about 64% of the City’s land mass dedicated to agriculture.
These lands provide approximately $252M in local revenues annually (not including agricultural support industries such as feed, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery, and fuel). Additionally, Chilliwack accounts for 25% of the province’s farms (while only occupying 4% of the total agricultural land), and produces more than 62% of BC’s gross farm sales.
As Chilliwack is situated in the eastern portion of the Lower Mainland region, food processing companies are able to take advantage of the proximity to the Vancouver and US marketplaces. The combined accessibility of agricultural resources and markets has led to the Lower Mainland region becoming home to the highest concentration of food processors in British Columbia.
Chilliwack, in particular, provides approximately 11% of the province’s raw materials for food processing.
It is these factors that have contributed to notable food processors selecting Chilliwack, such as Rogers Foods, Sandel Foods, Meadow Valley Meats, and Vantage Foods.

Diverse Range of Food Processors

Chilliwack is already home to a diverse range of food processors in such subsectors as beverages, dairy, meat, grains and flour, and organic foods.
This diversity is reflected in the wide variety of processing facilities present in the community.
In addition to larger food processing firms such as Agropur Division Natrel, Johnston Packers and Fraser Valley Meats, smaller-scale operations have emerged including Honeyview Farms, Happy Days Goat Dairy and Anita’s Organic Grain and Flour Mill.
The emergence of smaller food processing facilities over the past few years is attributed to factors such as vertical integration as production companies (farms) have incorporated small food processing facilities and retail outlets into their business. In addition this growth is due to the expanding popularity of organic produce and shoplocal themes.