Cavendish Farms (Municipality of Leamington, Ontario)

Founded in 1911 by Everett Omstead to process fish, Omsteads produced frozen vegetables and fruit including onion rings. The operation is one of the largest producers of frozen appetizers in North America. In 1986 the Omstead family sold the operations to John Labatt Ltd. which in turn sold them to H.J. Heinz Co. Ltd. in 1996. Purchased in 2003 by TriWest Capital Partners, which also owns Snowcrest Packers, the two plants located on both sides of Wheatley Harbour cover a total area of approximately 750,000 sq. ft.

In 2008 the fish processing plant on the east side of the harbour was sold to Great Lakes Fish Corporation. In 2009 Cavendish Farms purchased the appetizer line from TriWest and has continued to operate the 395,282 sq. ft., frozen foods plant on the west side of the harbour and has plans to triple production.

www.cavendishfarms.com/