Company gave workers the news Oct. 7

Heather Wright/The Independent

Conagra says it either wants to sell its Dresden plant or close it down after the 2027 tomato run.

That from company officials after meeting with about 150 employees at the plant Oct. 7.

The company would not consent to an interview nor would it answer our questions. Conagra did send a statement saying, “After a careful review, Conagra has made the decision to close or sell its facility in Dresden, Ontario, and the associated brands and private label business,” said Dan Hare the company’s spokesperson.

“Conagra is currently in discussions with Highbury Canco about a potential transaction to sell the business. If an agreement to sell the business is not completed, then Conagra will close the facility in mid-to late 2027.”

The impact of a closure would be large, says Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault. He received word from the company about its plans just before Conagra met with employees. Conagra, he says, “basically wants out of the tomato business.”

A closure would affect the entire community, the MPP says.

There are the 150 or so members of Unifor Local 580 who will be out of work if the plant closes. And then, there are the family farms making a living from selling tomatoes. Chatham-Kent is Canada’s number-one producer of field tomatoes for processing, accounting for roughly 55 per cent of Ontario’s processing tomato acreage, most are family farms.

“That money that goes into restaurants, the whole economic development part of it, like it’s quite a ripple effect. It from buying farm equipment to just pretty well everything, right? Then you got farm labour, like it’s very far-reaching.

“It’s not something we want to see…It’s not a hit we want Dresden to take,” says Pinsonneault.

The MPP says he called the province’s Economic Development Ministry right away, hoping to provide some aid.
“The catch is this is private enterprise and it’s really hard to be involved with that,” says Pinsonneault.

“However, I made it very clear to them the ripple effect that this will have. You know, like all the farmers that deliver tomatoes there, it’s pretty far-reaching, and so at the provincial level, we’re going to work with whoever and see what we can do.”

While the call was unexpected, it isn’t the first time Pinsonneault dealt with problems at the Dresden plant.

“Between Christmas and New Year’s, they had run into a roadblock with their wastewater wasn’t making the grade in order to go through the municipal system,” Pinsonneault tells The Independent. “I got the minister on board, and we all did a conference calls in between Christmas and New Year’s, and we come to an agreement,” the MPP said.

Pinsonneault says it took some work to get the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to come up with a solution in 2025 for this past season to move ahead.

“They had run into a roadblock with their wastewater,” says the MPP. “It wasn’t making the grade. I guess, in order to to go through the municipal system. So, I got the minister on board, and we all did a conference calls in between Christmas and New Year’s, and we came to an agreement.”

Provisions were put in place to move the plant forward. “Conagra said, ‘Yep, that’ll work,’ Pinsonneault said.
“Conagra was going to put their money into making sure that the (conditions were) met and and everything moved forward, and they signed the (tomato grower) contracts because they have to sign the contracts with the growers, I think it’s by December,” he said.

“Everything was going fine there. But they apparently when when I talked to the administration down there (at Conagra), they said they just want to get out of the tomato business.”

Conagra is in discussion with Highbury Canco in Leamington working on a deal to purchase the plant.

Sources says Unifor is meeting with the company as it negotiates a deal with the Leamington-based company. Unifor officals did not return our calls for comment prior to our deadline.

Fast Facts

• Chicago-based Conagra is a publicly traded, independent corporation
• Institutional investors and asset management firms—such as BlackRock and Vanguard—which collectively hold over 75 per cent of the shares.
• Conagra has about $4 billion in sales of frozen foods each year
• The company’s brands include Duncan Hines, Vlasic pickles, Hunts and Orville Redenbacker Popcorn as well as top Canadian Brands Aylmer, VH Sauces, and POGO
• Conagra brands had $11.61 billion in net revenue in 2025.
• Conagra Brands reported a net income of $1.152 billion, a significant 231.9 per cent increase from $347.2 million in 2024.
• Highbury Canco is a privately owned firm
• Kraft Heinz Canada which sold the historic plant to Highbury Canco in 2014 and maintains a major manufacturing/co-packing agreement with them through 2027