Congebec, a Quebec-based cold chain logistics company, has announced plans to develop a new state-of-the art cold storage distribution facility in Rocky View County just outside Calgary.

The project, which is still in the planning phase, will be located near CN’s Calgary Logistics Park, giving the company direct access to the intermodal rail yard, a key factor in the decision to build at the site.

“Working with CN on this new Calgary facility is a natural extension of our mission to provide reliable, sustainable cold chain solutions. By combining Congebec’s expertise in temperature-controlled logistics with CN’s expansive rail network, we’re giving customers the confidence to move their products anywhere they need to go, with efficiency and care,” said Richard Patenaude, president, Congebec (Transport) Inc.

The facility will serve multiple clients and will streamline container handling between the Port of Vancouver and Canadian markets, while supporting future exports abroad.

Congebec, which already operates a facility in southeast Calgary and has expanded westward through acquisitions since 2013, says this new location will serve a distinct market need. The company has 16 facilities totalling 70 million cubic feet across Canada, and says the Calgary expansion reflects growing demand for food distribution and supply chain solutions.

Congebec, which is based in Quebec City, has been in business for just over 50 years. It provides solutions in the multi temp supply chain - the cold chain - for storing and distributing food to Canadian markets.

“Our biggest growth has really been around the food and food distribution in Canada, with the mission to make sure that food is accessible as well as safe for the Canadian consumers,” Patenaude explained. “We work with manufacturers, retailers, producers, to really try and solution their cold chain requirements."

Container shipping key feature for facility

That extends from warehousing and value-added services such as co-packing, repacking or product handling within the facility, to distribution through various modes of transportation. Patenaude said intermodal and rail is considered an area of potential future expansion for Congebec.

The new Calgary facility is still in the planning stage to evaluate the right size for the centre.

“It's not like we're just building another cold store next to the train. To us, it's going to be a lot more tailored to the type of intermodal import-export requirements around containers . . . We're actually in the process of just finalizing what that's going to look like from dock sizes to number of rooms and temperature zones and things of that nature,” he added.

Patenaude said the site appealed to Congebec because of its connection to the CN logistics park. Items can be shipped to the park and unloaded in the facility, thus freeing up the container to be reloaded or shipped elsewhere. 

“We’re trying to reimagine a little bit cold chain as it relates to rail and total distribution,” he said.

He said the facility will be designed to accelerate the conversion of temperature-sensitive goods between rail and warehouse.

To be developed with CN’s construction partner Matthews Tribal, it will integrate cold storage, cross-docking, transloading and first- and last-mile services with CN’s established refrigerated programs. The proximity to rail will streamline transfers, reduce dwell times, and ensure temperature-sensitive goods move more efficiently, said the company.

“This initiative with Congebec reflects CN’s commitment to building smarter, more sustainable supply chains. This new hub will give our customers new options to move their temperature-sensitive products with greater efficiency, reliability, and reach, helping them compete in markets across North America and globally,” said Dan Bresolin, vice-president, intermodal, in a statement.

Congebec's western Canada presence

Congebec also has a facility on 72nd Avenue S.E. in Calgary, acquired when it bought Westco in 2013. In 2018, it added more than 70,000 square feet to that facility, bringing it to just over 200,000 square feet.

The acquisition of Westco enabled Congebec to expand west into Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Calgary and Carberry, Man.

“We're always open to new things, but right now we're going to focus on this CLP project, and then we'll see what's next. We don't want to oversaturate the market either," Patenaude said. "We're always very careful of how we enter markets and so we always take that in consideration. So if we ever felt there was a need, we would certainly look at what that could do, for sure. But right now, no plans.”

The acquisition of Westco enabled Congebec to expand West into Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Calgary and Carberry, Manitoba.

Earlier this year, Congebec's acquisition of B.C.-based Bradner Cold Storage added Vancouver to the company’s market reach.

“We're obviously looking to leverage what we're doing here with the CLP in Calgary, and to look at how that could extend into further parts of North America as well. We've been historically known as a cold storage company and really moving more into what we call a cold chain company, which is involving a lot more than just the warehouse piece, looking to build complex solutions for our customers that involve the transportation as well as the warehousing and all of the stuff that goes on within the facilities,” Patenaude explained. 

“We really see that's our area of growth, expanding on our total cold chain expertise and overview, as opposed to focusing strictly on cold storage as the main item.”