Richardson International: grain, canola and edible oils
Richardson International: Canadian grain handler since 1857, with Richardson Pioneer, canola crushing at Lethbridge and Yorkton, and the Wesson brand.
Richardson International is a private Canadian grain handler and food processor dating to 1857, crushing canola and milling oats and wheat.
Canada · Subsidiary of James Richardson & Sons, Limited
Richardson International is a Canadian company with roots in 1857, when it began as a one-man grain merchandising operation in Kingston, Ontario. The business later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Today it is a subsidiary of James Richardson & Sons, Limited, and it remains a private business with family origins. It combines the purchasing and handling of grain and oilseeds with food processing, so it works both with the farms that grow crops and with the food companies that use them.
On the farm side, Richardson Pioneer is the part of the business serving agricultural producers, buying grain and oilseeds such as canola. That seed then feeds the group's processing: canola is crushed into oil and meal, and oats, wheat and durum wheat are milled. Crushing separates the oil from the protein-rich meal used in animal feed. Further down the chain, the group makes edible oils, shortenings and margarine, and owns consumer brands such as Wesson.
Size of the business
Richardson reports combined canola crushing capacity of more than 3 million tonnes a year at its Lethbridge and Yorkton plants. This is processing capacity rather than annual oil output.
Is Richardson Pioneer a separate company?
No. Richardson Pioneer is part of Richardson International and is the business that serves agricultural producers.
Does crushing capacity equal oil output?
No. Crushing produces several outputs, mainly oil and meal, so one tonne of crushed seed yields much less than one tonne of oil.
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