The City of Hamilton and Hamilton Port Authority (HPA) are jointly initiating a study to determine the feasibility of a full-service food and beverage warehouse located at the Port. The contemplated logistics facility would support a variety of food and beverage producers within the Hamilton region, and foster stronger export connections to the U.S. consumer market. Such a facility could offer food-grade warehousing, packing and shipping options, along with other services, while taking advantage of the Port’s location and transportation connections.
The study will explore the possibility of providing on-site customs functions like Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspections and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) pre-clearance. It will also look at the market for potential operators and users of such a facility, and spin-off business opportunities for Hamilton-area food manufacturers and processors.
Norm Schleehahn, Manager of Business Development for the City’s Economic Development Division states that “the agri-food cluster remains a vital component of the City’s economic base. Partnering with Hamilton Port Authority, exploring options to expand infrastructure to support the sector, is a welcome opportunity”.
“This project is an example of the alignment of vision and spirit of cooperation between the Port and the City,” said Ian Hamilton, HPA’s Vice-President of Business Development & Real Estate. “We share the goal of developing Hamilton’s agri-food cluster and building food sector logistics capacity. We’re working together to improve the competitive landscape for Hamilton businesses.”
Agri-food has grown into a $1 billion industry in Hamilton, with HPA being one of the key engines of this growth. More than $200 million in agri-food sector investment has been attracted to the Port of Hamilton in recent years, including a new G3 Canada Ltd. grain terminal, Parrish & Heimbecker flour mill, and the Nickel Brook/Collective Arts brewery.
Hamilton is ideally located for food sector importers and exporters, located 45 minutes from the U.S. border and within a day’s drive of 100 million North American consumers.
This project is funded in part through Growing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.