The business partnership between Olymel and ATRAHAN Transformation Inc. gets the green light from the Competition Bureau

ST-HYACINTHE, QC, Feb. 24, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The business partnership between Olymel and ATRAHAN Transformation Inc. of Yamachiche in the St. Maurice Valley announced a year ago has received the green light from the Competition Bureau of Canada. With this positive decision, the management of Olymel and ATRAHAN Transformation Inc. have announced their intention to merge their hog slaughtering, butchering and processing operations and finalize the transaction in the coming weeks. The value of the transaction will not be disclosed.

"Olymel will do everything possible to ensure that the sum of the expertise and know-how possessed by our two companies will enable us to benefit from the synergies generated by this transaction. We welcome the managers and all 350 employees of ATRAHAN Transformation Inc. into this new partnership, and assure them of our desire to preserve the values that are at the core of this fine family business. Together, we will nurture a partnership that will be able to capture new markets and better satisfy our customers' demands," noted Olymel President and CEO Réjean Nadeau.

ATRAHAN Transformation Inc. was founded 60 years ago this year. The company has more than 350 employees and generates annual sales of approximately $200 million, exporting its products to over 50 countries, including Japan, China and the United States. Its annual slaughtering capacity now stands at nearly one million hogs. The plant in Yamachiche will remain in operation, and will continue to serve its customers and honour its supply agreements under the terms of the Hog Marketing Agreement.

"After a year of interchanges between Olymel and ATRAHAN Transformation Inc., we can finally give life to this partnership between two companies with deep roots in Quebec and a presence in many markets worldwide, both of which are heavily involved in developing Québec pork products. After 60 years of operations this year, the Trahan family sees this alliance as an assurance that it will be able to take the company it has developed over the past six decades to a new level. We wish to reiterate the confidence we expressed when the partnership was first announced in February last year. I am convinced that pooling our operations will benefit our employees, our suppliers and our customers no matter where they may be," added Denis Trahan, President of ATRAHAN Transformation Inc.

About Olymel

Olymel L.P. is a leader in the production, processing and distribution of pork and poultry meats in Canada. The company, which celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2016, has made feeding the world its mission, a mission it pursues passionately with products of impeccable quality. In carrying out its mission every day, Olymel relies on its tradition of maintaining a strong link between farm and table, as well as on innovation and attention to customer and consumer needs. The company employs close to 10,000 persons, including more than 7,000 in Quebec, and has large facilities in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Olymel exports about a third of its total sales to the United States, Japan and Australia, as well as over 60 other countries. Its annual sales are on the order of 2.8 billion dollars. The company markets its products mainly under the Olymel, Lafleur and Flamingo brands. For more information about the company, visit www.olymel.ca

About ATRAHAN Transformation Inc.

Founded in 1956 in Yamachiche in the St. Maurice Valley, ATRAHAN Transformation Inc. is a family-owned business run by Denis and René Trahan specializing in hog slaughtering and butchering, and pork processing, as well as the manufacture of pig byproducts. Working closely with its partners and suppliers, the company has developed quality pork that meets the standards of demanding customers. The company employs more than 350 persons. Over the years, it has acquired the most modern, efficient equipment, bringing its slaughtering capacity to nearly a million hogs per year. It has annual sales of over 200 million dollars, and exports its products to more than fifty countries, including Japan, China and the United States.

SOURCE Olymel l.p.

Richard Vigneault, Corporate Communications, [phone] or [phone]; ATRAHAN Transformation Inc.: Denis Trahan, [phone]