By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The rumours are true – Dresden’s Conagra tomato processing plant is up for sale.
An official statement from the company Oct. 14 confirmed the U.S.-based company is in talks with Highbury Canco about purchasing the facility. But Conagra officials said the plant will close in 2027 if a buyer isn’t found.
In an emailed statement to The Voice, spokesperson Patrick Persichilli outlined the decision.
“After a careful review, Conagra has made the decision to close or sell its facility in Dresden, Ont., and the associated brands and private label business. Conagra is currently in discussions with Highbury Canco about a potential transaction to sell the business. If an agreement to sell the business is not completed, then Conagra will close the facility in mid- to late-2027.”
The announcement comes on the heels of word the company isn’t renewing tomato contracts next year with some farmers. Contracts are negotiated on yearly basis.
Kent Federation of Agriculture president Jim Brackett said he’s spoken with local tomato producers who’ve been told their contracts won’t be renewed next year, as they were told the plant is up for sale.
“Hopefully someone will come forward, such as Highbury Canco, to buy the plant,” Brackett said. “There are a lot of pressures on farm income right now and tomatoes are a high-value crop. It would be sad if the Dresden plant closes.”
According to Persichilli, a senior human resources director, the plant employs 190 full-time workers, who are joined by 250 seasonal workers during the tomato run.
All told, according to its website, Conagra has 17,400 employees at 41 production facilities, primarily in the United States, and in 2025 had $11 billion in sales. Two of its plants are located in Canada, one in Dresden and one in Boisbriand, Que.
Based in Chicago, Conagra represents around 100 consumer brands, from Duncan Hines to Orville Redenbacher to Hunts and Aylmer, the last two which are produced in Dresden.
The company is owned by a consortium of shareholders, with BlackRock Advisors LLC as the largest shareholder at 16 per cent. The American multinational company is the largest asset manager in the world.
In 2023, as reported in The Tomato News, Conagra invested $2.9 million into the Dresden plant. The upgrades included software improvements, a new evaporation system to increase tomato paste production and the installation of a line dedicated to American products including the Ro*tel trade name.
Tomato and vegetable processing have been a fixture in Dresden since 1902. Built by Thomas Dunn, the original facility was known for years as Canadian Canners. In 1949, a more modern plant was built and since that time it has changed hands and brands – with Nabisco, Aylmer-Delmonte and Kraft taking ownership before Conagra.
Highbury Canco is a Canadian company founded in 2014. A group of investors purchased the Leamington Heinz plant after the American-owned company decided to walk away from it. Many farmers in Chatham-Kent are contracted to supply the Highbury Canco Leamington plant with tomatoes.
