Province and Feds Invest in Covered Bridge Potato Chip Expansion
Waterville– Covered Bridge Potato Chip Co. is getting a financial boost from both the provincial and the federal governments to expand its facilities.
On Wednesday, the provincial and federal governments announced a contribution of $867,000 to help the Covered Bridge Potato Chip Co. with an 836 square metre expansion. The expansion will allow the company to improve efficiency, optimize operating space and increase production. Covered Bridge makes old-fashioned kettle chips with dark russet potatoes harvested from the family company’s 200-hectare potato field at Albright Farms. The company’s facility is also an agrotourism destination that encourages visitors to take self-guided factory tours. A recently expanded section of the building includes an improved viewing space for visitors and additional washrooms to better accommodate tour bus traffic.
“This expansion is another step for us in our efforts to build a more efficient platform for the future growth of the company,” said company president Ryan Albright in a news release. “The space will enable us to add more cooking capacity and a new product line in the near future. We had a record tourism season this past summer and can attribute a lot of this to our expanded tourism viewing area, gift shop and facilities, and look forward to growing that next summer.”
The provincial government contributed $367,000 to the project through a forgivable loan from Opportunities NB. The federal government, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) Business Development Program, provided a repayable contribution of $500,000 for the project.