Sun-Brite Foods is a Canadian food processing and canning company headquartered in Ruthven, Ontario."Tariffs could cause cost of canned goods to rise by up to 40 cents a can, food processor warns", CTV News, By Pat Foran, April 10, 2025
Sun-Brite supplies the food industry with processed tomatoes, and also sells canned and bottled consumer products under the brands Unico and Primo."Canadian food processor urges feds to axe reciprocal steel tariff or store prices will rise". CBC News, Apr 10, 2025."Sun-Brite squeezes into ketchup market with 100% Canadian Primo brand". Windsor Star, By Sharon Hill, Apr 13, 2016 As of 2016, Sun-Brite was Canada's largest tomato processor. In 2025 the company made 33 tomato-based products and processes thirteen kinds of beans, as well as producing dried pasta products.
History Sun-Brite was founded in 1973 by Onorio (Henry) Iacobelli and his wife, Lina, who bought an existing canning plant."Primo company patriotically wades into Canadian ketchup war". CBC News, Apr 12, 2016
Sun-Brite purchased Unico (founded in 1917) in 1997.[https://www.richmond-news.com/opinion/column-tomato-sauce-quintessentially-italian-10204746 "Column: Tomato sauce, quintessentially Italian A food that brings the essence of summer to your winter meal."]. Richmond News. Sabine Eiche, Feb 8, 2025. The Primo company (founded in 1956), with its Toronto pasta factory, was acquired from Kraft in 2006."16 Of Our Favourite Canadian Grocery Staples".Chatelaine, By Nalyn Tindall, January 26, 2026."A Primo Emery taste", Emery Village Voice, July, 2019, by John Porco In 2016, after Heinz closed down its ketchup plant in nearby Leamington, Sun-Brite began making ketchup under its Primo brand.
Sun-Brite has twice been fined for environmental infractions, once for releasing a large amount of processing water into the local drainage system without reporting it,"Sun-Brite Foods fined $287,500 for improper waste water discharge". Windsor Star, By Dave Waddell, Jan 17, 2018 and once for spreading processing waste on fields." Doug Ford promotes cannery that’s been reprimanded by environment ministry". National Observer, By Emma McIntosh, July 16th 2020
In 2020 the company employed 135 permanent employees at its plant in Ruthven, about 100 at each of its Primo and Unico plants in Toronto, as well as a few seasonal workers from Mexico."Kingsville tomato, bean processor to start voluntary, on-site COVID-19 testing". CBC News Jun 18, 2020. As of 2025, Sun-Brite imports most of its cans from the United States."Kingsville tomato processor urges feds to lift 25% reciprocal tariff on steel, aluminum". Windsor Star, By Millar Holmes-Hill, Apr 09, 2025.
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