International brands continue to see opportunities to expand in the Blue Sky City.
Factor Meals, a subsidiary of HelloFresh Canada, has officially opened a new 50,000-square-foot kitchen and distribution centre in Calgary, which establishes localized production in Western Canada and creates 400 jobs.
The new facility will serve as a hub for the company's Western Canadian operations, supporting the production and delivery of ready-to-heat meals across the region while helping the company advance toward nationwide service later this year.
Initially launched in Canada in 2022, Factor Meals has grown rapidly by offering chef-crafted, dietitian-approved meals delivered directly to customers. The Calgary expansion marks a significant milestone in the company's growth, allowing it to serve customers across Western Canada while strengthening its presence from coast to coast.
"Activating our Calgary kitchen is a critical piece of the puzzle for Factor Meals in Canada," said Ian Brooks, CEO of HelloFresh Canada.
"This facility positions us to achieve national service in the coming months, bringing fresh, nutritious, and convenient meals to millions of new households across the Western provinces."
Building on Calgary's growing agri-food sector
The investment reinforces Calgary's strengths in agribusiness, food processing and logistics. Combined with Alberta's agricultural advantages — including more than 50 million acres of farmland and more than 70,000 agrifood industry employees provincewide — Calgary offers companies access to a dynamic food ecosystem and the transportation networks needed to efficiently reach markets across North America.
As part of its expansion, Factor Meals is intentionally building relationships with local companies and suppliers. The company sources beef from Brooks and High River, works with Calgary-based Centennial Food Solutions for poultry and plans to expand its local supplier network through partnerships with Calgary's Star Produce and Sunrise Poultry in Lethbridge. This approach creates new opportunities across Alberta's agricultural sector while strengthening connections between producers, processors and consumers.
Alongside Invest Alberta, Calgary Economic Development supported the expansion by connecting Factor Meals with local suppliers, workforce and government resources. By facilitating introductions to Alberta producers, assistance with navigating business and permitting processes and workforce connections through Talent Ready programming, the company realized the unexpected possibilities to scale that the Calgary region offers.
“Factor Meals’ decision to expand in Calgary reflects the momentum we’re seeing across sectors where local innovation is transforming how we produce, move and deliver goods, including food-tech and agri-processing,” said Brad Parry, President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development.
“With a competitive cost environment, room to scale, a highly skilled workforce and strong partnerships, Calgary offers what businesses need to scale with confidence.”
The provincial and federal governments supported the project with a combined $3.6 million in funding, including $2.3 million through the Alberta Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit and $1.3 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The investment reflects Alberta's commitment to supporting value-added agriculture and creating an environment where companies can invest, grow and scale.
Creating opportunities across the region
The facility is designed to support large-scale meal production and distribution, featuring advanced commercial kitchen infrastructure and temperature-controlled storage systems that maintain quality and food safety throughout the supply chain. The operation will prepare meals daily for customers across Western Canada.
Beyond its economic impact, Factor Meals is also establishing partnerships aimed at reducing food waste and supporting community organizations. Through collaborations with Second Harvest, the Calgary Food Bank and the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary, surplus ingredients and meals will be redirected to help address food insecurity in the region.
“Calgarians will benefit directly from this investment as Factor Meals expands in our city, creating hundreds of jobs and strengthening our local economy,” said Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas.
“This expansion reflects Calgary’s continued growth as a destination for investment, where companies are choosing to scale, invest and be part of a city that is diversifying and building long-term economic strength.”
Factor Meals’ expansion reflects the vision of Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy, Calgary’s strategy to grow and diversify the economy while creating long-term prosperity for all Calgarians.
Learn more about Calgary's agribusiness sector and its advantages that enable companies to scale, invest and hire in the region.