The Souris Food Park was the site of a celebration on Saturday. However, this type of celebration is not usually marked in this country. Flags were raised as AgraWest's $30 million potato dehydration plant reached a significant point in Dutch construction.
"In Holland, when we reach the highest point of a construction project, we celebrate at the top with champagne," said Jan Hak, Vice-President of AgraWest and President of Hak & Partners, a food consulting and engineering company in The Netherlands. "It warms my heart at this time of year to see my partners and the construction company respecting and recognizing our traditions."
The Canadian, Dutch and Prince Edward Island flags were all raised at 11:00 am on Saturday to mark the special occasion. Representatives from AgraWest Investments Ltd., Fitzgerald and Snow and East Coast Steel were all on hand for the ceremony.
The plant is being developed by AgraWest Investments Ltd., a Canadian agri-food company based in Prince Edward Island. The company consists of Canadian and Dutch interests. The Canadian group is led by Charlottetown lawyer, Mark Ledwell; potato dealer, Ray Keenan of Rollo Bay, Prince Edward Island; and an agriculture financial consultant, Shelley Boutilier, of Lethbridge, Alberta. The Dutch group is led by Mr. Hak.
AgraWest will manufacture dehydrated potato granules at the facility. Potato granules are manufactured in a dehydration process. Potato granules are used primarily as an ingredient in value-added food products such as baked low-fat potato chips, pastas, soups, baby foods and a wide array of baked food products. Granules are used in institutional and retail markets as a mix for mashed potatoes. The product is ideal for "food-aid" purposes because of its high nutritional value and because the product can be transported in bulk and stored easily.
The AgraWest facility, located in Souris, PEI, will be the first stand-alone granule plant on the east side of North America. At the moment, there is a smaller-scale plant located in southern Alberta. Other granule plants are located in the Pacific northwest region of the United States and in western Europe. Because the facility dehydrates smaller size potatoes, it complements the fresh market and processing sectors of the PEI potato industry.