History

Lilydale Foods established its roots over 60 years ago in the year 1940, when a group of farmers established the "Alberta Poultry Producers Ltd." to help them provide better quality poultry products to a wider consumer base. The company's first plant located in the downtown sector of Edmonton, Alberta was purchased on October 01, 1941 from B. Wainberg Ltd. This first plant, headquarters for the company from 1941 to 1967, covered three floors with a total of 30,000 square feet. After two years the organization expanded into the Calgary area with the purchase of the Alberta Poultry Producers Company in 1942. Lilydale was already on its way to establishing itself as a multi-faceted poultry company.

Lilydale experienced many changes that were not expected in its first few years. During World War II, Lilydale was called on to supply powdered eggs to support Canadian and British troops overseas. To meet the demand, Lilydale purchased almost $200,000 in equipment to process the powdered eggs and as a result, became one of only three Canadian egg suppliers for the war effort. The need for eggs during the War allowed Lilydale to grow at a rapid rate, and provided the stability that grounded the company as a leading poultry producer. At its peak, the company operated 72 egg stations throughout the province and continued to provide these eggs until the end of the War.

The '50s
After World War II, the demand for powdered eggs declined, and the last shipment was sent in 1949. Lilydale began to focus its efforts to supply eggs to the domestic market in the early 1950's. This brought on new challenges for the company as farmers across Canada achieved the ability to produce fresh eggs year-round. Lilydale lost much of its domestic egg market and went from powdered and fresh eggs to frozen egg melange. Melange was widely used in cake mixes, and in fact some of the first cake mixes Canadian homemakers bought contained Lilydale melange. In 1955 the number of Lilydale fresh egg stations dropped to 47 and the company took this opportunity to re-focus and expand its chicken processing. During these years the sales for eggs dropped 25%, but the volume of processed poultry increased 250%, and this helped Lilydale to establish its place in the market.

The '60s
In 1961, Lilydale opened another plant to meet the expanding business. Lilydale's third plant, located in Lethbridge, Alberta serviced the Southern Alberta market. In 1967 the organization sold the original Wainberg plant in downtown Edmonton, and in the same year built a new plant in North Central Edmonton which opened in April of 1967 as the company headquarters and continues to be the head office for the company today. Products created at this location are marketed under the Lilydale and Country Fair brand, as well as private label brands for large food service and retail chains. In 1969 Lilydale acquired a half share of Pinecrest in Calgary to gain market strength in that area.

The '70s
In 1970 a processing plant in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia was built as the business expanded into the Western region, proving that Lilydale was a strong and competitive organization. The demand for eggs continued to decline with consolidation of producers which resulted in fewer and larger producers. In 1972 the organization closed its last egg grading facility, officially getting out of the egg business. In 1973, only three short years after the Port Coquitlam plant was built, the company sold this operation. Lilydale could not compete against the unlimited resources of the newly elected BC government who opened a poultry processing plant in the Vancouver area. However, in 1974, a new market opportunity arose for the company when the Safeway Corporation asked that turkeys be basted in pure vegetable oil to add juiciness and flavour. Lilydale continues to produce a basted turkey called Lilydale Flavour Baste. As well, in 1974 a large new hatchery was built in Calgary.

From the years 1974 to 1977, overall processing increased another 88%, which marked a continuing success for the organization. The demand from consumers for new poultry products allowed Lilydale to expand operations again to process products such as chicken and turkey wieners, which are still widely sold today.

A significant company name change was made in 1976 with the adoption of “Lilydale Co-operative Limited”. Mr. J. I. Wright, the General Manager at the time, was instrumental in selecting the company’s brand name “Lilydale” as that was the name of his home town in Saskatchewan.

The '80s
The 1980's were more years of expansion for Lilydale. A most sophisticated chicken hatchery was opened in Edmonton. The second half of the Calgary plant was purchased giving Lilydale full ownership which allowed for greater flexibility in processing and marketing operations. This plant now houses the most advanced system for air chilling product. The Air Chill technology provides tender, moist chicken and turkey products and requires less handling of the food. Lilydale also acquired another plant for its expanding operations in Abbotsford, British Columbia in 1984 to specialize in turkey processing. This plant has now become one of the most advanced processing facilities in North America. It is a perfect location for the plant as British Columbia leads the Canadian market in consumption of turkey. The turkey market continues to grow as consumers recognize the health benefits of this product.

In 1984, Lilydale also established its very own equipment manufacturing division to keep up with the demands for new and innovative processing equipment. This division designs and manufactures equipment for all other divisions of the company and has also sold its equipment to customers worldwide. In 1986 Lilydale re-purchased the Port Coquitlam plant that was originally built by the company in 1970. This purchase included a processing plant on Vancouver Island and a hatchery in Abbotsford. In July 1987 Lilydale purchased Vans Sausage Company (re-named Lilydale) in South Edmonton that now produces a full line of further processed products such as deli meats, wieners, nuggets, subs, fresh sausage and cooked chicken products.

On September 01, 1987, Lilydale officially re-entered the egg business. The Lilydale egg company ran operations out of Edmonton and produced over 7 million dozen eggs per year. Lilydale eggs were found across Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and the North West Territories.

The '90s
Lilydale continued to expand. Lilydale had HAACP approved processing plants in Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam, Calgary, Wynyard and 2 plants in Edmonton, including the head office. Lilydale also had 4 hatcheries and 1 equipment manufacturing division. Lilydale provided products for all of Western Canada, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as parts of the Yukon, North West Territories and Quebec. The company also exported to Japan, Mexico, Russia, and the United States. Lilydale had become a fully diverse food processing company with focus on a growing international market place. Lilydale prided itself on its extensive product line, with hundreds of products including chicken, turkey, beef and pork.

2000 And Beyond...
The new millennium continues to bring more challenges and opportunities and Lilydale continues to succeed as it had in the past.  The year 2000 marked the 60th year of operations for Lilydale. The Board and Management of Lilydale had embarked upon a process of developing a three to five year Business Plan to identify numerous strategies that would allow for significant improvements in how Lilydale would operate.

In 2001 Lilydale’s vision and mission were renewed, a set of core values adopted and strategies developed.  The development of Lilydale’s Vision, Mission and Values gave a new direction and the motivation and momentum to move toward achieving positive and rewarding goals for our members, employees and stakeholders.

In 2002, the divestiture of our Egg Division, the closure of our West End facility in Edmonton and Lethbridge Hatchery and plant, as well as the sale of our corporate farms created a pathway to gain operational efficiencies.  Lilydale continued down the path to become a recognized supplier of choice for branded fresh poultry products across the country.  In 2003 we ran an advertising campaign in the Ottawa Valley to increase brand awareness.  This contributed in our ability to secure our position as the fresh poultry supplier to Costco in Ontario – an important step in our national growth strategy. Lilydale continued to expand to Eastern Canada with the 2004 purchase of a processing plant in Mirabel, Quebec. 

Lilydale has proven to be an ongoing success as it celebrates its 65th year in 2005.  In its 65 year history, Lilydale has undergone numerous changes as we evolved with the market to become one of the largest poultry companies in Canada.  We will continue to succeed and surpass consumer expectations for years to come.