Groupe Inovo, a family poultry business, and Groupe Legault, a family business that owns the Mondou pet store chain, announced plans to unite their expertise to create Jupiter, a state-of-the-art plant in Drummondville, Que., that will manufacture dry dog and cat food.

This project, worth nearly $45 million, will help create some 50 new jobs over the next five years, the Sept. 4 announcement said.

"Jupiter intends to position itself as a reference in the fields of science and food technology," said Jean-Philippe Désilets, director at Groupe Inovo, and Jules Legault, co-owner of Groupe Legault. "Indeed, our two family businesses have always distinguished themselves because of our sense of innovation, our dynamism and our desire of diversification. We have decided to put our vision and our strengths together in the Jupiter project to promote compliance with the industry's highest standards of food quality and safety."

In addition to Groupe Inovo and Groupe Legault, the project is supported financially by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Investissement Québec and Desjardins. Strategically located in the Drummondville Industrial Park and near the U.S. border, this location was chosen to allow the plant to be more agile in its exports to the U.S., Groupe Inovo said.

The plant will have a surface area of 121,760 sq. ft. on about 18 acres of land. The plant will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the production of dry dog and cat food, developed by the best animal nutrition experts, the announcement said. Construction began last July and will take approximately 18 months to complete, with an expected opening in early 2021.

Navdeep Bains, Canada minister responsible for Canada Economic Development, said, "Our government is proud to support Jupiter in its project to build this new plant by granting a repayable contribution of $2 million. With this support, we are relying on the innovative capacity and drive for progress of a company that will stand out in ever-changing markets. Jupiter will actively contribute to the economic vitality of Centre-du-Québec and will be a source of pride for the region."

Since 1965, the Désilets family, which owns Groupe Inovo, has been operating a poultry business in four Canadian provinces. The group owns, among other companies, Nutri-Expert, which produces animal feeds, and Acti-Sol, which specializes in the production of natural fertilizers.

Groupe Legault oversees the deployment and support of the group's various companies, including Mondou, a leader in the retail sale of pet food and accessories.

Source: Groupe Inovo, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.