On the occasion of welcoming the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to the McCain Foods potato processing plant in Matougues last week, the company announced plans to invest €350 million to modernize and expand output in France.
“This significant investment will be distributed across our three production sites in Harnes, Bethune and Matougues, demonstrating our long-term vision for growth and sustainability in France,” said CEO Max Koeune. “This will drive a 25% increase in production capacity, ensuring we can continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers and consumers.”
According to French media reports, €25 million of the investment will be spent to modernize the Matougues factory.
While taking Macon on a tour of the site during the “Choose France” event, Koeune emphasized that the company is not only deploying capital for infrastructure improvement and boosting output.
“We’re investing in the future of food production. From reducing CO2 emissions to optimizing water usage, we’re committed to minimizing our environmental footprint while maximizing efficiency,” stated McCain’s chief executive officer.
Headquartered in Canada, McCain Foods has been producing value-added potato products and other frozen products in northern France for more than four decades. Its first plant was built in Harnes in 1981 at a then substantial cost of $27 million. Growth in production and sales has been steady ever since, and today the company sources raw material from 800 partner farmers.
