Vancouver, B.C.-based Oppy says it has expanded its capabilities and strengthened its commitment to Western Canada with a new office and warehouse facility in south Calgary. The grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce says this addition will bolster its service capabilities across Canada’s Prairies.
“We identified a unique opportunity in this market to grow as a service provider focusing on distribution in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” says Stewart Lapage, vice president of supply chain and logistics with Oppy.
Oppy says this new location is double the size of its previous Calgary facility and is in response to its continued business growth and increasing demand for value-added logistic solutions. The company says it wants to increase its distribution in the Prairies by more than 200%, through both volume growth in its core categories as well as an increase in its specialty services offerings to its logistics customers.
This new office and warehouse facility features state-of-the-art packing lines, bagging equipment and specialized ripening and grading technologies to support a wide range of produce. Oppy says its new coolers, racking and floor plans allow for greater operational efficiencies.
And while Oppy says it packs and inventories hundreds of different products at the Calgary location, it sees the most growth in its kiwifruit, citrus and avocado categories.
As a cold service and value-added hub, the company says this Calgary location will serve Alberta as well as Western Canada for Oppy.
“It was the natural progression for our business,” Lapage says. “With Oppy recently integrating Dole Diversified North America into its business, we have access to expanded supply lines that will be a perfect fit for our customers here in Western Canada.”
The facility also features LED lighting for energy efficiency, EV chargers in parking lots, motion-controlled lighting to help support Oppy’s broader sustainability and innovation goals, with the capacity to invest in future automation technologies as well.
The company says it has added nearly a half a dozen new team members in Calgary and will add six more roles in the future as it scales its logistics and third-party service offerings. Oppy says this new Calgary location also supports the growth of its Oppy Transport, which has expanded to meet a growing demand for storage and distribution services.
“This space is a physical expression of our promise to grow in step with the Prairies and invest in long-term partnerships across the region,” says John Anderson, chairman, CEO and managing partner of Oppy. “Oppy is committed to evolving with our customers’ needs and finding new ways to deliver excellence across the supply chain.”
