Grain trader doubles bean capacity

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

Cooks Division of Parrish and Heimbecker Ltd aims to replace its aged facility and double its bean processing capacity in Hensall, in Huron County, in time for harvest this fall.

But that doesn’t mean it will be doubling its volume of white and other dry beans this year. “The IP (identity preserved) business for soybeans is growing nicely out of Ontario. The navy bean business is not,” says Robert Bryson, Parrish and Heimbecker’s eastern Canadian grain operations director. “We want our options open for anything that has a food grade requirement.”

According to the company’s website, the Hensall division of P&H contracts, processes, packages and ships navy, cranberry, black turtle and kidney beans.

In 2008, the province produced 55,100 tonnes of coloured beans and 72,600 tonnes of white beans. The majority of these were grown in southern and western Ontario. The chairman of the Ontario White Bean Producers Marketing Board, Grant Jones, says Parrish & Heimbecker handles about 15 per cent of the dry and navy beans contracted in the province.

Bryson calls the growth in demand for identity preserved soybeans over the past five years “substantial” and its future “extremely good.”

Construction on the new plant started this week on property the company owns adjacent to its warehouse. Bryson would not disclose the exact costs of the new building but says it’s less than $10 million. The new facility will double the current plant’s capacity and be “much much” smaller.

Bryson says staff levels will remain the same. The current facility will be demolished once the new building is complete.

Food safety requirements are becoming so rigid that it’s difficult to meet customer expectations with an older facility, Bryson says.

“Everyone (in the food industry) is supersensitive right now to food safety, traceability, making sure that nothing happens that could cause a recall or damage to their image,” he says. “They’re passing that back to us in tighter and tighter and tighter requirements.”

The bean board's Jones, who farms nearby, is encouraged that Parrish and Heimbecker Ltd. is investing in Hensall. “We all agree it’s a good idea,” he says. BF