The Modhani plant in Tillsonburg had its official grand opening on Friday. Cutting the ribbon were, from left to right in the front row, company president Barinder Badwal, Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman and Tillsonburg Mayor Deb Gilvesy.
By Jeff Helsdon
A Brampton company is the latest new industry in Tillsonburg’s industrial base.
Modhani Inc. is best known for its unique yogurt, however the Brampton company also manufactures cheese, ghee and jam. As the company’s web site states, “Here at Modhani Yogurt, we create one of a kind Greek yogurt that is not only nutritious and extraordinary in its taste but acts as a preventative agent against a whole host of diseases and disorders.”
The yogurt is infused with turmeric, which is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, protein, calcium, iodine, B12 and others. Although turmeric is known for its strong taste, it doesn’t come through in the yogurt, which is available in a variety of fruit flavours.
The story of how the company started is as unique as its product.
“I had a dream, and in the morning, I told my family we will make yogurt,” said company president and founder Barinder Badwal.
The back story is Badwal didn’t have experience in the food manufacturing sector. His family is from the Punjab region of India, which is a farming area. Tradition is that families in the area make their own food, including yogurt.
“We are farming guys and know the best yogurt and know how to make yogurt,” Badwal said.
Modhani is actually the Punjabi word for butter churn.
There are no preservatives in Modhani yogurt and the ingredients are fresh and natural.
“Without preservatives, that is the key point,” Badwal said.
While some entrepreneurs with a dream would employ a team of experts to bring it to fruition - in this case yogurt or dairy experts - Badwal spent countless hours researching how to make yogurt at a commercial scale, marketing and all the associated steps.
Started in 2015, the company grew from a small company to a multi-million-dollar company in a few short years. Its products are available in a variety of grocery stores, including Wal-Mart and KMS Grocery on Tillson Ave.
Although production started on April 11, the grand opening was Friday with local politicians, neighbouring business owners and a representative of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario in attendance.
Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman congratulated the Modhani team on a “job well started”, pointing out there is more to do. He noted that he often doesn’t get to attend grand openings in conjunction with the dairy industry and was glad the company was working with local dairy farmers.
Tillsonburg Mayor Deb Gilvesy recounted that when Badwal was looking for a location to expand from the initial plant in Brampton, there was a shortage of industrial space. A wood pallet refurbishing company purchased the plant at 101 Spruce St., but then put it back on the market. Badwal then purchased it.
“Town council, in conjunction with the economic development officer and economic development committee, have placed an emphasis on diversifying our industry,” she said. “Diversifying provides resistance in slower times in certain sectors. Modhani fits this.”
The Tillsonburg plant will increase Modhani’s production by 400 per cent when fully operational. There are currently 10 people working in the plant, and this is expected to reach 40 to 50 by year end.
Local Dairy Farmers of Ontario board member Pete Overdevest welcomed the new opportunity to expand the existing processing market in Oxford County.
“We want to grow our industry and expand,” he said. “We want to have an opportunity for processors and producers.”
Modhani breathed new life into the plant at 101 Spruce Street. It was best known as the second TRW plant in town, but then gained notoriety as an illegal marijuana grow op. The transformation from an industrial space to a government-approved food processing plant was an extensive one, taking almost two years.
Outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, the plant is now at 25 per cent capacity. It will take three months to reach 70 per cent and is expected to hit 100 per cent by the end of the year. The big hold-up is waiting for machines to arrive.
The plant will be able to handle three million liters of milk per year. Each liter of milk will make a liter of yogurt, but the ratio from fresh milk to end product is only 16 per cent with cheese. The expectation is the production will be split evenly between yogurt and cheese eventually.
Cheese manufacturing is still at the experimental stage, seeing what is needed in the market.
Barinder Badwal of Modhani Inc. points to the skids of yogurt already produced in the new Tillsonburg plant on Spruce Street. The plant started production in April.
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