CB Group (CBG) has unveiled its state-of-the-art air chill processing plant at The Nest, its eco-industrial park in Hill Run, St Catherine.
The $15 billion facility, the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, triples the company’s production capacity, positioning Jamaica to achieve self-sufficiency in poultry meat while significantly reducing regional reliance on chicken imports.
It will also bolster CARICOM’s goal of reducing extra-regional imports by 25 per cent by 2025.
“The air chill plant and the concept of The Nest is an example of circularity in action, and not simply about producing more chicken. This long-term investment shows our absolute commitment to Jamaica’s food security, the people who work with us, the customers we have the honour of serving and the environment in which we live. We’re doing things differently and we’re being very open, transparent and deliberate about inspiring the next generation to do things better,” said CB Group CEO, Matthew Lyn.
The new plant sees the relocation of CB Chicken’s processing operations from Kingston to St Catherine and represents a shift from water-based processing to air-chilling, a technology which uses cold, purified air to reduce the temperature of the birds after slaughter (the European standard) rather than the traditional “swimming pool” method that is still prevalent in other parts of the world.
Air chilling improves the taste of the chicken, reduces the risk of cross-contamination and saves a great amount of water, according to CB Group.
In this instance, CB expects to save 250 million litres of water annually, but based on the design of The Nest and its circular approach, 100 per cent of the water used, which is still significant, will be cleaned at the Water Treatment Plant on-site and repurposed for crop irrigation.
In addition to saving water, the circular approach has other environmental benefits. Through a partnership with JPS Co on a 10MW LNG Combined Heat & Power Plant, CBG uses all the heat from the generators to produce steam in a cleaner, better way for the environment, which also improves electricity distribution and reliability to the surrounding areas of St Catherine, the company outlined.
The protein plant eliminates 20 million pounds of biological waste from entering our national landfills.
Now that CB Group has tripled its capacity, Jamaica has now become 100 per cent self-sufficient in poultry meat and makes a sizeable dent in the gap of chicken imported by other Caribbean countries from outside the region, the company said.
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“Jamaica is on track to become a net exporter of chicken within the next five to 10 years.” said Lyn, “Based on the historical and forward projections of the industry and the new capacity of the plant, our country has the opportunity to accomplish something only a handful of countries around the world have achieved.”
At the opening event, it was revealed that over the last six months, the company had already increased production by over 15 per cent, and over the next 24 months, the group will be actively working to expand its network of integrated contract growers, enabling more small business owners and job creation.
Tony Blair, CB Group’s Divisional Manager with responsibility for the Air Chill Plant shared, “This facility lays the foundation for more than $2.5 billion of investments by independent poultry growers over the next two years. Each farmer typically invests north of $250 million to erect the climate controlled, modern, sustainable housing we have as the CB standard.”
And because of the integrated operation, to feed the growth of the processing plant, other aspects of the CBG operation will be forced to expand in the short term, including, but not limited to the hatchery and feed mill, which positively impacts small farmers and other livestock industries that rely heavily on chicken, such as table eggs, pork, dairy, beef, goat and sheep.
Blair continued, “We strongly believe in agriculture. We know the value it brings to our society and, here at CBG, we’re proud to play a leading role in its development for our Jamaican people and the Caribbean.”
