A South Asian food company popular in Surrey is expanding its operations into a new facility, that is almost 200-times as large as the one the company started off in 26 years ago.
In a press conference in South Surrey Friday morning, government officials announced that Punjab Milk Foods’ Nanak brand has received funding from the province’s manufacturing jobs fund of $7.5 million. The application window for the funding, which is provided to streamline capital projects for manufacturing companies, is still open.
Co-founder Vineet Taneja said he and his partner Gurpreet Arneja are “grateful” to be chosen as recipients of the funding.
“It allows us to reach further and make more of a significant impact,” Taneja said of their Indian dairy food brand.
Surrey-Panorama MLA Jinny Sims said that Nanak Foods is the “largest processor of traditional dairy-based Asian foods” in North America, that is sold in more than 14 countries around the globe.
“The facility will include new, state-of-the-art, automated processing lines for manufacturing the current 55 types of various food products with the potential of expanding both the range and volume of production,” reads a release about the announcement.
“The current facility is operating at its full capacity of 50 tons per day. The new facility will have a daily production capacity of 200 tons (plus more), offering sustainable new jobs to the city of Surrey.”
Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey announced that the expansion of the company with a new facility will also create 50 new full-time positions to people living in Surrey.
“We need to maintain good, sustaining jobs in every corner of our province,” Bailey added, saying that this is the government’s responsibility and goal going forward.
Sims expressed pride in Nanak Foods, as it operates out of the Panorama area, saying that the company is the largest employer in the area.
“We are excited about the opportunity that lies ahead,” Taneja said.
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