Sollio & Grains Québec Agriculture co-ops launch grain marketing partnership

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Ten cooperative members of Grains Québec Agriculture are joining forces with Sollio Agriculture in a limited partnership to form Sollio & Grains Québec.

With projections of more than 2 million tons of grain marketed annually, Sollio & Grains Québec will be the largest buyer of grain from producers in Québec.

Before this partnership, each co-op location would have its own agents, buying grain from farmers and selling to Sollio Agriculture or other grain buyers in smaller volumes. Now, all the cooperatives will work with a team of 22 grain marketing specialists in various markets, and deal in 20, 000 ton volumes vs. 500 tons at a time, for example.

In addition to Sollio Agriculture — the agribusiness division of Sollio Cooperative group (formerly La Co-op fédérée), the 10 founding cooperatives are: La Coop Agrilait, Comax, Covilac, des Montérégiennes, Parisville, Saint-Hélène, Unifrontières, and Vivaco groupe coopératif. La Coop Agriscar and La Coop Novago will be added in 2021.

Richard Villeneuve, general manager of Sollio & Grains Québec, says the move consolidates the main grain marketing activities of the member co-ops, making it possible to develop new markets for Quebec grain.

Guy Crepeau

“It is a great opportunity for the Quebec co-operative network to be part of this partnership that will bring many significant advantages to our provincial members and clients. They will benefit from the strength of the group while maintaining proximity in the field with their producers,” says Guy Crépeau, president of Sollio & Grains Québec.

As part of this partnership, Sollio & Grains Québec benefits from its close relationship with Sollio Agriculture’s grain handling business, which handles 4.2 million tonnes of grain per year and gives it access to its multiple facilities along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The venture will have its own board of directors, where each partner is represented according to its percentage of ownership.

Related: Sollio receives $150 million capital injection led by Rabobank

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