“It is difficult for us. It’s been a family business. We’ve been in this community for a very long time but I think what we had to do was look among a wide range of possible companies which would serve the company best, particularly the employees and that weighed very much into the decision as much as, if not more than, the financial decision.”

“A lot of the employees wanted to talk to my dad and give him a hug. It was emotional all the way around for both sides. My dad walks the plant regularly and knows the employees well. He’s actually pledged to keep doing that so that makes people feel a little better.”

In its history, 200 Voortman employees have stayed more than 25 years and approximately half of those remain with the company to this day, he said.

Voortman president Garry Postma retains his position and the new CEO is Douglas MacFarlane, who has previously worked for Maple Leaf Foods, Pillsbury and Clorox.

“He’s a very good fit for this company and that was important too. He’s very down to earth, he’s not the kind of person who’s going to come and shake things up and bring his ego. He a very good humble man

Swander Pace gave Harry the opportunity to veto any CEO if he was uncomfortable with the decision, added Ed.

“He (CEO) was actually telling people, ‘you’ll be surprised in some ways how little change there is here. We want to maintain what’s here; we’re not here to shake things up or change things.’ They want to grow the company, add jobs.”

Details of the sale will remain confidential, said Ed.

Voortman was built by Harry and his brother William a few years after arriving in Canada from the Netherlands in 1948. From humble beginnings in a rented room in Hamilton, Voortman Cookies grew into a 22,500 sq. metre facility, capable of producing up to 20 million cookies per day. In 1956, the brothers moved their operation to Burlington and 20 years later, to its current site.

Voortman Cookies can be found in supermarkets in more than 70 countries around the world.