Cavendish Farms plans USD 150 million investment in Jamestown potato processing plant

Cavendish Farms is planning nearly USD 150 million in expansion and improvements at its Jamestown potato processing plant. Daniel Richard, vice president at J.D. Irving Limited, the owner of Cavendish Farms, said the company plans to break ground in spring 2025 on a USD 100 million expansion, which will replace the fryer, expand the building by 55 feet, and provide a better working environment and storage at the facility. The expansion will increase capacity from 410 million pounds of production annually to 450 million pounds.

Also in the works are a USD 15 million packaging expansion and a USD 30 million wastewater treatment plant. The wastewater treatment plant will move the plant's wastewater out of the purview of the City of Jamestown and onto Cavendish itself, Richard explained. Richard talked about the expansion plans during a Nov. 8 tour of the plant by North Dakota legislators and ag group leaders . He said the expansion should set the plant up for continued processing for at least the next 20 years.

Because it is sold out in terms of processing capacity, Richard said the plan is that the plant will only shut down for about 10 days. Otherwise, processing will continue on schedule during construction. Cavendish Farms is the food division of J.D. Irving Ltd., a multifaceted company based in Canada. Cavendish Farms is the fourth largest North American processor of frozen potatoes, and the Jamestown location is the company's only U.S. food processing plant.

During the plant tour, the group learned that Cavendish processes potatoes in Jamestown for restaurants like Wendy's and Steak ‘n Shake, as well as for some proprietary products marketed through Cavendish Farms. Richard said potatoes processed at the Cavendish plant in Jamestown come primarily from North Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska. The reason for the large region is that it somewhat reduces the possibility of localized weather and disease problems wiping out a crop. Even with the large footprint, he said that on rare occasions potatoes have had to be bought from East Coast growers due to crop disasters.

Growth of processing

Gary Shields, executive director of Northland Potato Growers, which represents potato growers in North Dakota and Minnesota, said that while he couldn't speak directly to the Cavendish expansion, he was enthusiastic about growth in the industry.

Gary Shields:

"We love to see growth. We're always seeking ways to give our growers more opportunities and obviously help feed the world."

Expanding processing means giving growers more opportunities to market their products, he said. All three states that supply potatoes to the Jamestown plant are large potato producers. According to a summary of the 2023 potato crop, released in September 2024 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service , North Dakota ranked fifth in total production for the year, with Minnesota at eighth and Nebraska at 10th. 

The report said potato production was up 9% nationally in 2023 compared to 2022, with an increase in both harvested acreage and yield. Potatoes used for processing — which makes up over half of the U.S. potato crop usage — was up 3% from 2022, including a 4% increase in use of potatoes for the types of frozen french fries and other frozen potato products made at the Jamestown plant.