Granite REIT transformed a 92-acre former quarry and asphalt plant into the resulting Telephone City Logistics Centre, a master-planned high-density manufacturing and logistics hub in Brantford, ON.
2024 (Base Building)
2025 (Tenant Fit-Out)
Challenge
Transforming a former industrial site into a modern logistics and manufacturing campus required balancing redevelopment, operational performance, and sustainability objectives. As the company’s first North American expansion since 2008, the project needed to accommodate the specialized requirements of a global food manufacturer while maintaining the flexibility of a speculative industrial building.
Solution
An integrated, multidisciplinary approach guided the evolution of the speculative base building into a specialized food production facility for Swiss-based chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut, the development’s first tenant. The design incorporates upgrades to ventilation, life safety systems, and GMP compliance, alongside structural modifications that support Barry Callebaut’s linear processing system. A mezzanine maximizes space for processing and office functions, while careful coordination ensures efficient movement of raw materials, production, and finished goods.
Outcome
Sustainability was a core project focus, with material selection, water management, and high-efficiency ventilation contributing to the facility’s two Green Globes certification. The development reinforces Brantford’s role in expanding the food manufacturing sector, creating 200 new jobs and establishing a responsible industrial presence to support economic growth and investment.
The half-kilometer-long facility is organized around Barry Callebaut’s linear processing system, enabling efficient coordination of raw material intake, production, and finished goods storage.
