Founded in 1957 in Florenceville, McCain Foods is the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen French fries and potato specialties. The company’s products can be found in thousands of restaurants and supermarket freezers in more than 160 countries – one in every four French fries in the world is a McCain fry.
McCain also produces a wide variety of appetizers, pizzas, oven meals, vegetables, and desserts for the retail and foodservice industries. The business has grown significantly over the past six decades, from 30 employees and sales of CDN $150,000 in 1957 to more than 21,000 staff generating sales of over CDN $9.5 billion, with 53 plants worldwide.
Shalini Sharma is a McCain Talent Acquisition Specialist in Florenceville-Bristol. She made her move to New Brunswick from Toronto in early 2019. Opportunities NB (ONB) spoke with Shalini about moving to the province and about the types of roles McCain Foods is creating here.
ONB: Let’s talk about the company first. What types of roles does McCain Foods offer in Florenceville-Bristol?
Shalini: In Florenceville-Bristol, we do much more than just farming and making French fries. We have a large supply chain team based out of here as well. That includes roles in Procurement, Logistics, and Customer Service. Beyond that, we also have roles in areas such as Finance, Legal, Human Resources, Communications, Graphic Design, Engineering, and Research & Development. In fact, many of our Information Technology roles are also based out of Florenceville-Bristol because we have a Global Technology Centre here supporting our global IT/IS operations. And of course, we also have our agriculture and manufacturing-based salaried and hourly positions.
We want to spread awareness of the full range of opportunities McCain provides for New Brunswickers. Florenceville-Bristol is the heart of McCain Foods; this community and the talent we’ve attracted have been instrumental in driving the growth and success of the company.
Speaking of attracting top talent, you’ve made the move to New Brunswick this year. We love spotlighting the many talented people relocating to New Brunswick for great opportunities. How are you enjoying it here?
I landed in January and my travel from Fredericton to Florenceville was like riding through a winter wonderland, with a pinch of snowy adventures. Now with summer here, I am in awe of the beauty of this place! I really appreciate the quality of life here versus the big city. The extra time I get with my family was one of the driving forces for my move to New Brunswick. There are no traffic lights here, now that’s a luxury!
McCain Foods was on my list of world-class companies I hoped to work for. I honestly believe that was partly due to McCain fries being an integral part of my childhood. I have some amazing memories of picnics with my family and relishing their fries! When I spotted this opportunity on LinkedIn, I knew I had to pursue it. I’m glad they took a chance on me, and I’m so grateful to call New Brunswick home.
How does McCain go about recruitment?
Social media platforms — LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter — enable us to deliver strong employer brand messages to the talent we want, and are a great way for us to engage with potential talent. We also participate in career fairs both within and outside New Brunswick as well as other meet & greet events. Our Careers page is the best way to find our open positions; all positions are advertised there as soon as they become available.
At this point, I should mention what an incredible partner ONB has been on that front. The team does a fantastic job helping companies like ours find and connect with top talent.
That’s great to hear. What’s been the best thing about working in New Brunswick?
The people. They are so friendly and humble, and there is such a strong sense of community. It’s almost inexpressible, you really have to experience it to believe it. For a rural area, there is a vibrant, multi-cultural presence and it’s wonderful to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures. I’m so glad I made the move. Moreover, I love what I do, Human Resources is my happy space, dealing with great people every day and making a positive change in their careers; it’s my joy!
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ONB understands the critical importance of companies being able to access great local and international talent. Whether they’re working with a large company like McCain Foods or one of the province’s many small and medium-sized businesses, ONB’s Workforce Strategy Team is helping to bolster our workforce by advising clients and connecting them to the right resources and talent. Need help to grow your business? Contact us today.
Images via McCain Foods Limited
