MORRISBURG – The previously-announced $24 million soy milk processing facility under-construction by Alinova Canada in Morrisburg received a boost from the provincial government Tuesday (December 2).
Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, Vic Fedeli announced a $1.5 million grant for the project via the Eastern Ontario Development Fund which is part of the province’s Regional Development Program.
“With their new Morrisburg facility, Alinova is onshoring key processing capacity from Japan for Ontario’s agri-food supply chain, creating good-paying jobs, and driving long-term economic growth in Eastern Ontario,” Fedeli said at the announcement.
Alinova Canada is a joint-venture between David J. Hendrick International Inc. and Marusan Ai, the second-largest soymilk producer in Japan.
As first reported by The Leader in December 2024, the company is opening a soy bean processing facility in the former Homestead Organics facility on Allison Avenue in Morrisburg. The company, will process soybeans grown in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec into a soymilk powder for export to Japan. Construction of the plant began in December 2024 and the plant is scheduled to begin operation in Spring 2026.
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP and Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn said that with the economic uncertainty due to the U.S. trade disruption, it is important to build the agri-food industry in Eastern Ontario.
“Through the Regional Development Program, Morrisburg is proud to be home to Canada’s first soymilk powder processing plant, which will create good-paying jobs and strengthen our local economy for decades to come,” Quinn said.
The grant, not a loan, will help fund 15 permanent jobs at the facility, which is expected to produce about 1,200 tonnes of soymilk powder per year.
Quinn also spoke of the indirect jobs that will result from the project.
“The indirect jobs that are going to come from this investment are going to be significant all across our agriculture sector, as well as the trucking sector. There’s a lot of spinoff that’s going to come from this, and it’s solidifying SD&G as an agra-food centre,” he continued.
South Dundas Mayor Jason Broad said the investment was tremendous news for the community.
“With the support of provincial funding, this project brings new economic opportunities, high-quality jobs, and strengthens our position in Ontario’s agri-food sector,” the mayor said. “Not only will this facility export a made-in-Ontario product to global markets, but it will also create new opportunities for our local farmers and suppliers right here at home.”
David Hendrick, with David J. Hendrick International spoke of the partnership with Marusan Ai.
“Through this project, it is our full intention to ensure that Alinova Canada offers every opportunity possible to skilled workers and soy growers in the area as well as the Morrisburg community at large,” he said. “We are working with a company that’s extremely well established. They understand the soy mill process.”
Hendrick spoke of the options Marusan Ai had in choosing Morrisburg.
“At the outset, they had choices. They could have gone to Quebec; they could have gone to Manitoba; they could have gone to PEI; they could have gone many places, but where did they go? Eastern Ontario, because they believe in us and they want to be part of a success.”
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