Nestled in among the townhomes of south Etobicoke, in a rapidly gentrifying area, Berry Plastics was one of the last holdouts. It was not to be, though, as 2016 saw it's demise, with plans for yet more townhomes on the once industrial property, to match the many others surrounding it that have also consumed the once industrial lands of the area.

Finding out information for smaller industrial operations like Berry isn't easy. Usually one can find the corporate homepage for their global operations, but next to nothing on their local sites. In this case, scouring the internet led to a few things... the facility originally belonged to Pliant Corporation (who Berry acquired in 2009 via bankruptcy proceedings), and reviews of working conditions from former employees (who worked there until 2016). Beyond that, information is a scarce resource.

Upon our visit, the first thing we noticed was that there were a number of vehicles still parked out in front. We weren't sure if there were still people on site or not, so it was a bit concerning. The second thing we noticed was that the hydro feed had been physically disconnected, pretty much assuring us that no, there was nobody on site, at least inside the building. It didn't take long after that to find our way in.

The darkened facility proved to be interesting for the lighting angles, as well as the shelled-out husks of some of the remaining equipment. Quite a bit has been gutted out, in preparation for the eventual demolition. Interestingly enough, most of the windows in the facility have been painted over with failing paint; as the light shines through the weak spots the facility is bathed in an odd orange shade.

It wasn't a bad way to spend an afternoon in the end, but sadly this wasn't an industrial big win for us.