A $1.5 million project will double Buffalo Creek Mills' capacity to produce oat flakes for human edible consumption.
CEO Ryan Penner says they'll be installing additional state of the art equipment to get the job done in November and December, with hopes it will be ready to go in the new year.
"We process four thousand metric tonnes of raw oats every month, of which a portion of that moves toward a direct human edible consumption product. So, it (the project) doesn't change what we do at the plant but it does change what we produce."
"We are a ten-year-old company and our original dream was to become a full-fledged oat processing facility, and this is part of that evolution," added Penner.
He went on to say there's been steady growth in the oat market and Buffalo Creek Mills strives to be a part of that.
"The growth is world-wide. We're seeing it in multiple geographic regions, whether it's here in North America, Asia or elsewhere. The challenge is to go and get that growth."
"Over the last several years, society has understood the kind of healthy halo that surrounds oats, especially in relation to heart health and that has, I think, been one of the prime reasons for the continued growth in the industry," added Penner.
Ten per cent of the project cost will be covered by funding through the provincial and federal governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
"We are very appreciative of the support [...] from this program," said Penner. "We've been the recipient a number of times and it's been very helpful in our growth."
As well, Penner is excited for the continued growth at Buffalo Creek Mills and how that will integrate into the local agriculture community, noting it was one of the foundations of why the company was created.