ONTARIO CELEBRATES $200 MILLION MANUFACTURING INVESTMENT IN PORT COLBORNE

Jungbunzlauer plant expansion to create 50 new jobs and boost local economy

September 24th, 2024

PORT COLBORNE — The Ontario government is welcoming a $200 million investment by Jungbunzlauer to expand its existing facility in Port Colborne, which will create 50 new jobs and strengthen regional supply chains. 

“Thank you to everyone at Jungbunzlauer for your continued confidence in Port Colborne, Ontario workers and our province’s growing manufacturing sector,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Our government was proud to support this investment as part of our plan to keep rebuilding Ontario’s economy, including our manufacturing sector, and bringing back better jobs with bigger paycheques for the workers of our province.” 

This investment will enable the company to expand production of xanthan gum at its Port Colborne facility, to meet rising demand in North America. Jungbunzlauer is the only producer of xanthan gum in Canada. This fermented sugar is used to thicken and stabilize products across sectors such as food and beverages, health care, animal feed, personal care, detergents and various industrial applications. 

It’s expected that the project will increase the demand for Ontario-grown corn, creating valuable spin-off effects across the supply chain. In support of this investment, Ontario is providing $4.8 million in funding through the Invest Ontario Fund. 

“By lowering the cost of doing business in the province by $8 billion a year, we’re showing the world that Ontario is a top jurisdiction for multinational manufacturers to invest and expand their operations,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “We welcome Jungbunzlauer’s investment in Port Colborne and thank them for their continued commitment to their talented workers.”

Quick Facts

  • The Ontario agriculture and food sector supports more than 871,883 jobs in Ontario and contributed more than $50.7 billion to the province’s economy in 2023.
  • Invest Ontario is the province’s investment attraction agency. The agency pursues major investments across key industries, including the advanced manufacturing, life sciences and technology sectors.
  • Since it’s inception, Invest Ontario has announced $4.3 billion in investments and 4,160 jobs. 
  • Jungbunzlauer Suisse AG is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with manufacturing plants in Austria, France, Germany and Port Colborne. 
  • This new facility will help Jungbunzlauer to build large-scale fermentation capacity and optimize production processes. The investment will boost Ontario’s natural bio gum production, allowing for export to a growing North American market.

Additional Resources

For more information about Invest Ontario, please visit www.investontario.ca.