Winnipeg-based Richardson International acquires European Oat Millers
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
European Oat Millers, based in the U.K., is the second largest oat miller in Europe. The acquisition will help Richardson, North America's largest oat miller, build a presence on the continent
WINNIPEG—Winnipeg-based agri-goods firm Richardson International Ltd. announced June 26 that it has expanded its oat milling business with the acquisition of European Oat Millers.
“We are excited to build on our success in value-added processing and extend our food manufacturing footprint to a new geography,” said Curt Vossen, president and CEO of Richardson International.
Vossen continued, “As the largest oat miller in North America, we now look forward to building a presence in Europe to enhance our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
Based in Bedford, United Kingdom, European Oat Millers is the second largest oat miller in Europe, producing various oat flakes, flour and groats, as well as wheat and barley flakes and extruded ingredients and products.
The firm’s products are sold throughout the U.K., with exports to continental Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
“My brother and I are very proud of the business that we have successfully grown over the past three decades,” says Bill Jordan, who co-founded European Oat Millers with his brother, David.
Jordan continued, “We are pleased to be passing it on to a similar family-owned business that shares both our vision for growth and our core values and we look forward to watching the business evolve.”
Richardson International is a division of James Richardson & Sons, a western Canadian mega-firm that also deals in energy, real estate, financial services and investments.
The firm first entered the oat milling business in 2013 with the acquisition of three oat processing plants in Canada – Portage la Prairie, Manitoba; Martensville, Saskatchewan; Barrhead, Alberta – and one in the U.S. in South Sioux City, Nebraska.
Today, Richardson International is the largest oat miller in North America. The company also handles and merchandises Canadian grians and oilseeds, along with processing canola-based products.
