A one-of-a-kind cold storage facility in Saint John is officially open.
A grand opening ceremony for Americold’s export-import hub was held June 18, where officials from the company and its partners — Port Saint John, DP World and CPKC — joined local and provincial government representatives to cut the ribbon.
During the ceremony, Americold CEO Rob Chambers said the project marks the beginning of a long-term commitment.
“We are just at the beginning of what’s going to be a wonderful journey here in Saint John, and we couldn’t be more excited,” he said.
Americold is a U.S.-based company specializing in temperature-controlled logistics real estate aimed at strengthening global supply chains.
The company announced in early 2025 that it planned to build the facility in the city. The site is expected to enhance food distribution, primarily between central and eastern Canada and Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region.
The facility is also expected to benefit not only Saint John but the broader region by helping create supply chain resilience.
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“We have workers here who are going to benefit, but it goes beyond that,” Premier Susan Holt said in her remarks. “That’s what really excites me — the opportunity for New Brunswick and for New Brunswick businesses.”
Holt added that businesses in the province now have access to a global network through Port Saint John, allowing local products to reach more markets.
Americold invested $100 million in the facility, which took about 13 months to build.
As part of the project, Opportunities NB provided $1.01 million in payroll rebates to support job creation. The facility is expected to contribute up to $37 million to provincial GDP.
It is also expected to create 100 jobs by 2029. Currently, 35 people are employed at the site.
Chambers said the company expects to hire the remaining staff within a year.
He added that positions yet to be filled include supervisory roles, as well as pallet and forklift operators.
Chambers said Americold is interested in future growth in Saint John, but will first focus on ensuring the current facility is successful before considering expansion.
“It’ll depend in part on how quickly the facility fills up and how sustainable it is long term, but all indications early on are that this building is going to be a success,” he said. “We can’t wait to be here, be a big part of the community long term and keep growing here in Port Saint John.”
Port Saint John is also looking toward further growth.
Port president and CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks said upcoming projects may not be as large as those completed over the past decade, but they are important for improving operations.
He said the port plans to invest federal trade corridor funding to widen and deepen the channel to accommodate more vessels, as well as fully renovate four warehouses.
“They are smaller projects by nature,” Bell Estabrooks said, “but they are really important to keep this momentum going.”
