A look at the Fine Foods Plant, at Tecumseh & Lacasse in Tecumseh. I’ve been meaning to post about this place for a long time, and the postcard above has finally pushed this post into becoming a reality.
A neat view of the old sign that was once out front. I’ll admit to being woefully ignorant about the processes used here, but I anyone know what the octagonal section is used for?
A view along Lacasse Boulevard today.
This is the section seen the crop above. The only difference looks to be the smokestacks….
The factory was opened in 1931, and was designed by Albert Lothian. If you look at the brickwork here, you can see similarity to some of his other buildings.
A pair of ad’s from the Border Cities Star, June 27, 1931 the one above offering a visit to the kitchens, and the one below for Albert Lothian.
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I remember the roadside stand into the 1970s. When I was growing up, the big thing was to work de-tasselling corn in the summer and I couldn't wait to be old enough (and tall enough) to work. The plant caught fire on my 12th birthday and shortly after that it converted from canned corn to frozen corn. The local farmers started planting the smaller ears for freezing and I don't remember the roadside stand being open after the conversion.
before Green Giant pulled the plug and moved out, Essex/Kent counties supplied 35% of all canned/frozen vegetables to the Canadian market. Pretty amazing . it didn't matter which road you drove down, chances were pretty good that the fields were under contract to Green Giant or even Heinz. . Today you're lucky to find any food products actually grown/preserved in Canada. Thank goodness for local farmer markets.
The plant still cans corn and peas for a number of big name companies as well as a few of the store brands. Their larger market however is in the frozen goods. I would be willing to bet there's not a person on this forum who doesn't have AT LEAST one product, if not more, that originated at that processing plant. As for the roadside corn hut, it is still open sometimes if the crops are plentiful.
The comment even Heinz seemed odd because HJ has been in production since 1910, always produced more than Green Giant ever has. Go to Leamington Erie St. south, a very large, food prosser, still very much in buisnes under its original name, but not owner.
The fire in Oct 1973 completely destroyed the Can manufacturing facility. Canned storage warehouse #3 with 600,000 cases of canned product also burnt down. The next season both Frozen and Canned were again produced. The canning docks and #3 Whse were rebuilt. The freezer plant shipped out of a back hall for about a year. Materials had to be trucked in daily from the Clark plant in Harrow. A new freezer warehouse was built in 1974 and freezer docks repaired.
Can manufacturing was contracted to Continental Can and some employees went to work there. Others moved into Frozen Foods or Canning. The firemen saved the 2 frozen warehouses and that was important. It was great for the town and employees that Green Giant stayed.
There was another devastating fire at the plant, yesterday. It looks like it's the end of the road, for it. So sad.
Checkout the CKLW radio site for information about fire. Plant owners say they will rebuild and fulltime staff will have unemployment benefits toped up so no loss in pay.