WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Richardson International Ltd. is expanding its Bedford, England, oat mill and increasing its processing capacity by 35%.

“The global oats segment is thriving as shifting consumer behaviors drive market growth,” said Benoit Soucy, vice president of milling operations for Richardson International. “A significant investment such as this will enable us to fulfill the incremental demand of our customers as we continue to efficiently meet current requirements and anticipate their evolving needs.”

Once the improvements are completed, the facility will have a high-speed receiving system that will provide a fast inbound oat delivery, increased storage capacity to help with efficiencies in production and processing and a new expanded warehouse for improved transportation and logistics.

Construction will begin later this spring with no anticipated disruption to current operations and is expected to be completed in 2025.

“As a world class oat milling operation, we are incredibly excited by our new plans,” said David Jordan, board director for Richardson Milling UK. “Consumer interest in healthy oat products continues to grow and we see this as a great opportunity to supply existing and new customers with quality oat products. The outlook is positive for all industry participants — from the farming community and our facility staff to our suppliers and valued customers.”

A global company in agriculture and food processing, Richardson is a worldwide handler and merchandiser of all major Canadian-grown grains and oilseeds and is a vertically integrated producer of food and ingredients. Richardson has more than 2,900 employees across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. According to Sosland Publishing’s 2020 Grain & Milling Annual, the company has a total of 71 grain storage facilities with a total licensed storage capacity of 95.7 million bushels.