WINNIPEG, MAN. — Richardson International Ltd. has expanded its oat milling business with the acquisition of European Oat Millers. The acquisition closed on June 15.
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| Curt Vossen, president and c.e.o. of Richardson International |
“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 chief executive officer of Richardson International. “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, England, European Oat Millers is the second largest oat miller in Europe, producing a wide range of oat products, including various oat flakes, flour and groats, as well as wheat and barley flakes and extruded ingredients and products. Products are sold throughout the U.K., with exports to continental Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
“European Oat Millers is a solid, family-owned business that is well-established in the U.K.,” Mr. Vossen said. “We have been very impressed with both the quality of the business and its people and believe it is an excellent complement to our Richardson Milling division. Looking ahead, we will build on the investments that have already been made, including increasing manufacturing capacity, and will continue to seek opportunities to expand our global business.”
Bill Jordan, who co-founded European Oat Millers with his brother, David, said he is happy to pass the business to another like-minded, family-owned company.
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| Bill Jordan, co-founder of European Oat Millers |
“My brother and I are very proud of the business that we have successfully grown over the past three decades,” Mr. Jordan said. “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 first entered the oat milling business in 2013 with the acquisition of three oat processing plants in Canada — Portage la Prairie, Man.; Martensville, Sask.; Barrhead, Alta. — and one in the United States in South Sioux City, Neb. Today, Richardson is the largest oat miller in North America.
Richardson International is Canadian-based agribusiness and recognized as a global leader in agriculture and food processing. The company is a worldwide handler and merchandiser of major Canadian-grown grains and oilseeds and a vertically-integrated processor and manufacturer of oats and canola-based products. Richardson is headquartered in Winnipeg and has more than 2,500 employees worldwide.
