Innovative $75 million facility scheduled to open Spring 2025
LACOMBE COUNTY, Alberta, May 28, 2024 – Dairy Innovation West (DIW) hosted an exclusive hard hat
tour today for project stakeholders at its construction site in Lacombe County, AB. The event was
attended by key figures including The Honourable RJ Sigurdson, Government of Alberta Minister of
Agriculture and Irrigation, Barb Shepherd, Reeve of Lacombe County and Jamie Hoover, Mayor of
Blackfalds.
The tour provided a unique opportunity to preview the construction progress and gain insight into the
innovative technologies and practices that will make DIW a model for environmental stewardship in the
dairy industry. Scheduled to open in Spring 2025, the facility represents a $75 million investment in
advancing dairy processing and sustainability in Western Canada.
Upon completion, DIW will reduce the environmental footprint of the Western Canadian dairy industry
by concentrating liquid raw milk. For every three or four trucks of raw milk coming in from local farms,
one truck of concentrate will leave for a processing plant where it will be transformed into cheese,
butter, yogurt, high quality milk proteins and many other dairy products.
“With a $75 million investment and a capacity to concentrate up to 300 million liters of milk annually,
Dairy Innovation West is driving positive change for our industry and our planet,” said Henry Holtmann,
Board Chair, DIW. “This facility will significantly cut emissions and reduce raw milk transportation costs
by $15 million. It is a testament to the collaborative efforts of over 1,300 farmers and our financial
partners at Farm Credit Canada, symbolizing our industry’s vision for a sustainable future.”
On-site construction activity started in December 2023, managed by Pacific Process Canada Ltd.
“Dairy Innovation West represents a level of cooperation and innovative thinking necessary to achieve
the outcomes that project stakeholders set out to achieve,” said Chris Scheidt, President, Pacific Process.
“Pacific Process is excited to partner with DIW and the broad group of stakeholders including farmers,
investors, customers, communities and the many committed people on the project to achieve this vision.
Dairy Innovation West has garnered strong support and enthusiasm from all levels of government.
“As one of western Canada’s largest milk producers, Alberta is the ideal location for this cutting-edge
facility,” said RJ Sigurdson, Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. “Dairy Innovation West will
expand our province’s milk processing capacity, help our farmers save money and reduce the industry’s
environmental footprint.”
The facility is on track for substantial completion by November 2024, with operational testing scheduled
to commence from January to March 2025.
About Dairy Innovation West
Dairy Innovation West (DIW) is a milk concentration facility under construction in Lacombe County, AB.
First of its kind in Canada, the $75 million facility has two key strategic objectives: to support processing
expansion in Western Canada and to reduce transportation costs for producers. This state-of-the-art
facility will have the capacity to accommodate up to 300 million litres of milk from western dairy farmers
per year and is set to open Spring 2025.
Media Contact:
Leanna Kruk
Brookline Public Relations, Inc.
lkruk@brooklinepr.com
403-390-2170