Dr. Oetker Announces Plans for New Production Facility in London, Ontario

Expansion to provide opportunities for Ontario farmers and hundreds of jobs for local families

LONDON, Ontario, July 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - At an event held this morning, Dr. Oetker Canada, the maker of many beloved frozen pizza brands, dessert brands and dry baking mixes for both retail and food service, announced that it will build a new frozen pizza production facility in London, Ontario. The plant, which will act as a production hub for the company's North American pizza operations, will come along with over 125 jobs in London and bring some expected 300 additional jobs to the area. It is supported through Ontario's Rural Economic Development Program.

"Over the past few months, we've worked closely with officials from the Province of Ontario, the City of London and the London Economic Development Corporation," said Dr. Martin Reintjes, Executive Vice President at Dr. Oetker GmbH, the German headquarter. "I am delighted to be able to participate in today's announcement and to thank them all for the financial support provided to Dr. Oetker Canada for this project. As a fourth generation family owned and run business we understand the importance of community and we are thrilled to become a part of this thriving community here in London."

The company's famous "Trattoria" was onsite during the announcement treating guests to the company's pizza as they heard remarks from Dr. Martin Reintjes, as well as London-area MPPs Khalil Ramal, Hon. Chris Bentley and Hon. Deb Matthews and London Mayor Joe Fontana. This new facility will help Dr. Oetker produce about 50 million frozen pizzas per year for the Canadian and U.S markets and source over 24 million pounds of high-quality ingredients from Ontario farmers and food processors.

"The McGuinty government is proud to be a part of Dr. Oetker Canada's expansion, bringing a world class company to Southwestern Ontario, that will use fresh ingredients sourced from Ontario farmers and food processors," said Carol Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "Our government will continue to invest in projects like these, which will strengthen our agri-food industry, create jobs for our families and grow our economy."

Dr. Oetker Canada has been in operation since 1960 and ranks as one of the top five subsidiaries for the organization which operates in over than 35 countries, and has production facilities in 15. The Canadian unit has 120 employees today, produces over 300 products, and has doubled in size over the last five years due to new product development and a culture that thrives on innovation, quality products and fresh thinking. Most recently Dr. Oetker has seen success with its frozen pizza line, in fact nearly one in three frozen pizzas sold in Canada are Dr. Oetker pizzas. The company also operates a manufacturing and R&D facility located in Mississauga, Ontario. The Dr. Oetker pizza plant is slated to take up operations in late 2013.

"This plant will house production of our frozen pizza lines including Ristorante, a thin-crust gourmet pizza, Casa di Mama, our Italian homemade style pizza and our newest product Panebello, a bakery crust pizza," says Reintjes. "No matter what your pizza style is, this plant will offer great products for every pizza lover in Canada.

About Dr. Oetker Canada

Since 1960, Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd. has provided innovative quality food products to Canadian consumers. Recognized as one of the fastest growing food manufacturing companies in Canada, Dr. Oetker produces and distributes a variety of desserts and dry baking mixes (Shirriff, Added Touch and Dr. Oetker branded) and frozen pizzas (Ristorante, Casa di Mama and Panebello). The Canadian company is a subsidiary of the family-run Oetker Group which is currently led by Mr. Richard Oetker, great-grandson of the original founder. Established in 1891 with the launch of Germany's first baking powder, today Dr. Oetker carries out a legacy rooted in the belief that "quality is the best recipe" and a commitment to building a sustainable presence in the communities in which it does business. In 2009, sales were $2.5 billion.