Latest news with #SimonLaroche
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saint-Boniface Scores Kraft Hockeyville 2025 Title
Saint-Boniface will receive $250,000 for arena upgrades and host an NHL® Pre-Season game TORONTO, April 5, 2025 /CNW/ - Kraft Heinz, in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL®) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), is pleased to announce that Saint-Boniface, Québec has been named the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2025. Saint-Boniface will receive $250,000 for arena upgrades, the opportunity to host an NHL® Pre-Season game in the Fall of 2026 and $10,000 worth of brand-new youth hockey equipment courtesy of NHLPA Goals & Dreams. The other three community finalists will be awarded $25,000 each for arena upgrades, along with $10,000 worth of brand-new youth hockey equipment courtesy of NHLPA Goals & Dreams. Through a nationwide vote, Canadians selected Saint-Boniface, which received the greatest number of votes, in recognition of its dedication to building a vibrant future for hockey players and fans alike. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the official announcement on Sportsnet's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast earlier tonight. Since its inception, Aréna de Saint-Boniface has represented what's possible when a community rallies around a common goal. Located in the heart of the town, it serves as a gathering place where people bond over their shared passion for sports, music, celebration and, of course, Le Boum – Saint-Boniface's hometown hockey team. Built by a group of dedicated volunteers in 1999, their arena now needs tender care, and costly renovations are putting its future at risk. Nabbing Kraft Hockeyville 2025 will provide the support needed to upgrade its infrastructure, ensuring the community has a happy home for the next wave of hockey players. "Congratulations to Saint-Boniface for being crowned Kraft Hockeyville 2025. Your spirit shines bright on and off the ice," said Simon Laroche, President, Kraft Heinz Canada. "This program isn't just about building better arenas; it's about building strong Canadian communities. For more than a hundred years, Kraft Heinz has been producing food in Canada and contributing to our communities where we work, live and play, and it has been a true privilege to extend our reach by supporting community hockey – a sport that so beautifully mirrors our nation's passionate, resilient, and unified spirit." The announcement of this year's winner officially concludes the 19th annual Kraft Hockeyville program. Millions of votes confirmed it: hockey's heartbeat continues to resound across Canada. Saint-Boniface – along with a record number of communities – showed up for their hometowns in full force, proving once more that love of the game of hockey is alive and well, ready to be passed on to the next generation of greats. This celebration sets the stage for next year's 20th anniversary, with exciting new program updates ahead. For complete program details, please visit About Kraft Heinz Canada Kraft Heinz Canada's heritage can be traced back over a century to when James Lewis Kraft of Stevensville, Ontario began selling cheese from a horse-drawn wagon in 1903. Heinz Canada was established in 1909 in Leamington, Ontario where its first products were pickles sourced from local growers. Following the 2015 merger between Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company, Kraft Heinz Canada became a subsidiary of the newly formed Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC). Now the country's second largest food and beverage company, iconic Kraft Heinz Canada products like Kraft Peanut Butter, Heinz Ketchup, KD, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Renées Dressing, Jell-O, Classico, Kool-Aid and Maxwell House are found in over 97 per cent of Canadian households. Kraft Heinz Canada is driving transformation inspired by Kraft Heinz's global purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious, by creating memorable community moments through local initiatives such as Kraft Heinz Project Play and, of course, the impactful program we're celebrating here, Kraft Hockeyville, while also supporting food banks across Canada through Kraft Heinz Groceries for Good program. Learn more about our journey by visiting or following us on LinkedIn. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. © 2025 NHL. All Rights Reserved NHLPA and the NHLPA logo are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League Players' Association. © NHLPA. All Rights Reserved. SOURCE Kraft Heinz Canada View original content: Sign in to access your portfolio
CBC
12-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Multinational food and beverage firms push Canadian-made products amid tariff spat
Social Sharing Amid a "buy Canadian" push inspired by trade tensions with the U.S., some multinational food and beverage companies are working hard to highlight their Canadian-made products. Canadian viewers of the Super Bowl over the weekend may have noticed a new ad from Kraft Heinz. The ad, set in the company's Montreal factory, was put together in less than a week, said Simon Laroche, president of Kraft Heinz Canada. The factory employs more than a thousand people and has 42 production lines, he said. "Brands like Philadelphia cream cheese ... Kraft peanut butter, Heinz ketchup, Kraft salad dressing or Kraft singles, even Classico pasta sauce. All of those brands are made in Canada by Canadians, and people didn't know that," said Laroche. "We make 70 per cent of what we sell in Canada, in Canada." WATCH | New ad by Kraft highlighting its Canadian-made products: After U.S. President Donald Trump announced he intends to implement sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would retaliate with tariffs of its own. Now, the two sides are in the midst of a month-long truce. But in the meantime, many Canadians are looking for ways to support domestic businesses that could be hurt if tariffs do come into play. It's a good time for brands to promote Canadian products, said Rachel Thexton of Thexton Public Relations. But consumers looking to shop patriotically are finding it's not cut-and-dried, she said. There are several different labels depending on how a product was made, and many international companies such as Kraft Heinz make products in Canada, so brands are clamouring to prove their Canadian-ness to shoppers in the grocery store. "They're certainly investing a lot in this," Thexton said. Multinational brands are likely concerned their sales could suffer because they're not seen as Canadian, said Thexton. WATCH | Why it might be harder than you think to buy Canadian: Why it might be harder than you think to buy Canadian 14 days ago Duration 5:30 Other large U.S.-based food companies with a manufacturing footprint in Canada include Hershey, PepsiCo and its subsidiary Frito-Lay, and Mondelez International, the maker of Dad's cookies, Oreos, Ritz crackers and other well-known snacks. Many big-name alcoholic drinks are also manufactured in Canada. Molson Coors, which was formed through the merger of Canadian company Molson and American company Coors, brews a slew of beverages domestically including its namesake beers as well as Blue Moon, Arizona Hard Tea, Miller and Rickard's. The company has nine brewing locations across the country, employing thousands of people, said spokeswoman Alex Sockett in a statement. "While we are a global business, the vast majority of our beers and beverages are made in the market in which they are sold." In recent comments urging shoppers to seek out Canadian-made products, Trudeau noted that when the country was in a trade tiff with the U.S. in 2018, Heinz ketchup was on the chopping block. "The example from last time was Heinz's ketchup being replaced by French's ketchup because French's was still using Canadian tomatoes in its ketchup," Trudeau said. The Chicago-based multinational food company was quick to respond. Though it closed its Leamington, Ont. factory in 2014, it returned to producing ketchup in Canada in 2020, and now its ketchup is again made with Canadian tomatoes. "We wanted to make sure that Heinz was not going to be the example," Laroche said. Kraft Heinz is currently looking at its packaging, aware that shoppers are looking for labels indicating a product's Canadian-ness, said Laroche. Some, like Philadelphia cream cheese, are getting a packaging refresh soon, he said. It's also working with retailers on stickers, flyers and other ways to highlight Canadian-made Kraft Heinz products, Laroche said. However, he understands it's easier said than done for Canadian shoppers to figure out what it even means to buy Canadian. "The truth is, the entire supply chain in North America is very integrated," he said. U.S.-based food and beverage companies aren't the only ones working to reassure Canadians they're buying local products. Dr. Oetker Canada, whose parent company is located in Germany, put out a press release last week saying it's committed to domestic manufacturing, and that most of its products are made in Canada using locally sourced ingredients. It said its London, Ont., facility employs 430 people and uses 53,000 pounds of Canadian cheese daily. Lactalis Canada, which is owned by French parent company Lactalis, launched a guide for shoppers that includes information on what the labelling on their products means, such as "Made in Canada," "Product of Canada" and the blue cow logo for Canadian dairy. Yoplait Canada is also under French ownership, having been newly acquired by dairy co-operative Sodiaal. The brand put out a statement saying that for more than 50 years its products have been made in Quebec with milk from local farms. Thexton expects brands will continue to spend in the short term on ads, marketing and other ways to push their Canadian connections, whether they're Canadian-owned or multinationals with a manufacturing presence in Canada. It's up to shoppers to decide whether those efforts resonate, said Thexton.
