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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-04-20, Page 7LeS I:.hdrrn[atd Wednesday, April 20, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 7 Snobelen Farms found niche business opportunity in non -GM soybeans Darryl Coote Reporter People have no idea how many products soy is in, said Troy Snobelen, presi- dent and owner of Snobe- len Farms Ltd.. "Soy's in a lot of prod- ucts, you know, as flour," he said from the company's Lucknow headquarters. "Soy flour is in a lot of prod- ucts you don't even know about. Protein additives, big time, right? People have no idea." Established in 1971, Sno- belen Farms is a family owned and operated busi- ness that deals in process- ing and trading grains, oil- seeds and pedigree seeds. With its five grain elevators, the company deals within a 160km radius with approxi- mately 300 farmers, buying their foodstuffs, adding value to it through clean- ing, processing and pack- aging and then shipping them out. While the company also works in wheat, barley, oats, corn and other grains, it is soy that it ships inter- nationally -- and not just any soy, but specifically non -genetically modified (GM) soy. Over a large conference table with an equally large map of the world behind him, Snobelen ticked off the countries his company ships the legum to. "So right now we deal with England, we do some stuff into the Netherlands, do some stuff into Poland, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan. Yeah, about nine or 10 countries depending on the year, right? Every year is different, right? Depends on market demand," he said. International soybean exports account for 40 per cent of Snobelen's busi- ness, he said. Most is shipped to Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong, Japan and England to be made into milk and flour, tofu, miso and a traditional japa- nese side dish called natta. Snobelen Farms began its international dealings in 1997, and its foreign deal- ings almost mirror the his- tory of GM soy in Ontario. According to Snobelen, in the mid-1990s GM soy was introduced to farming in Ontario, which is one of the world's largest soy pro- ducers due to having a "superior climate" for the legume. Unlike Canada, countries such as Japan, China, South Korea and the United King- dom have long had strin- gent labelling requirements for GM ingredients. This environment created a niche market opportunity for non -GM soy farmers in Ontario, Snobelen said. "Consumer demand for non-GMO (genetically modified organisms), non - GM ingredients basically, was our driver for the non- GMO program," he said. And when the world came looking for non -GM soy, some found the stoop HAWK Theatre cast ready for spring production HAWK Theatre's opening night 'Sex Please We're Sixty' is set for April 28. Evening shows run at 7:30 p.m. on April 29-30, a matinee on May 1 at 2:30 p.m. and May 5-7 at the Lucknow Town Hall Thea- tre. Tickets are $15 and the facility is accessible with an elevator. Intended for adult audi- ences, tickets can be pur- chased at Everlastings Flowers and Gifts, Lucknow Public Library, Ripley Vari- ety, Jerome Flowers and Gifts in Kincardine, Earth Angel in Wingham and All Around the House in Goderich. Synopsis Mrs. Stancliffe's Rose Cottage Bed & Breakfast has been successful for many years. Her older female guests return year after year, perhaps to experience romance with her elderly, silver-tongued neighbour Bud "Bud the Stud" Davis. Mrs. Stan- cliffe's other neighbor, and would-be suitor, is Henry Mitchell, a retired chemist who has devel- oped a blue pill called "Venusia" to increase the libido of menopausal women. When the may- hem settles down, all the women find their lives moving in new and sur- prising directions. Submitted Snobelen Farms President Troy Snobelen stands out front his Lucknow grain elevators. He took over the company from his father, Mike Snobelen 2005. of Snobelen Farms. Or as Snobelen put it, "We saw the market demand come to us." The first company to inquire was from England, he said, but soon after Asian companies followed. Since then, Ontario has seen a steady increase in the number of GM -soybean farmers further entrench- ing this niche market and increasing demand for non -GM soy. The start of his company's international business occurred too long ago for Sno- belen to recall his reaction to the initial interest from global companies as it was almost 20 years ago, but he said Snobe- len Farms looked at the opportunity, assessed it and wanted in. "We haven't really looked back," he said. The 35 -employee strong company is always continuing to look for opportunities, he said, but for the immediate future Snobelen Farms will concentrate on "maximizing efficiencies and maximizing the volume that goes through the grain elevators." Asked to elaborate, Snobe- len said, "If you want to be in the grain business in Ontario you have to focus on receiving and dumping and unloading the trucks quickly so the farm- ers can get back to the fields for more." Relationships, he said, is an important part of cultivating and growing trade in the grain elevator business. From customers to their banks, their employees to their international partners, he said Snobelen Farms strives for strong relation- ships with all they do busi- Submitted HAWK Theatre's 'Sex Please We're Sixty' opens April 28, 2016 and runs shows April 29-30, May 1, 5-7, 2016. Pictured: L -R: Maureen Matchett (Producer/Director), Mackenzie Carruthers (Asst. Director), Vivien King -Sherwood (Charmaine), Vicky Morrison (Victoria), Bill Cooper (Bud), Lynne Jewson (Hillary), Jonathan Nelson (Henry), Lynn Shepherd -Adamson (Mrs. Stancliffe), Monika Friederich (Producer/Marketing) ness with. "We pride ourselves on keeping very close contact with our customers, and that's true whether it's a farmer whose delivering grain to us or a customer oversee who's buying grain. We have pretty good relationships and we try to maintain them as much as we can, he said. It's an important part of Snobelen Farms' success, he said, and it is reason they've been able to retain staff. Some employees, he said, have been there 40 years. "I've got two employees that've been with us for 40 years. I've got six employees that have been here for 15 years or longer. So of that 35 half of them have been here 10 years of longer," he said. "We've got it pretty good. We've got pretty good employees. Our employees are our best asset. They are amazing and we couldn't do what we do without" A week before this Febru- ary interview took place, Snobelen was in England with a customer touring a supermarket, the name of which he couldn't recall. Five brands of bread con- tained soy flour that had come from Snobelen Farms. "It is cool," he said. "And 100 per cent of that soy flour was coming from us." Asked how it felt to know the soybeans grown, har- vested and packaged in the Lucknow area were being used in a staple food almost 6,000 kms away, the rather reserved Snobelen said "it was pretty satisfying." He even took a picture of his daughter holding a bag of Vogel's bread, made with lin- seed and soy. This is the fifth article in a six -part business series on Lucknow companies with international reach. SUDOKU THIS WEEK'S PUZZLE SPONSORED BY Mitchell Twolan, Broker of Record Lake Range Realty Ltd. Brokerage 3430 Concession 2, Point Clark Office: 519-395-3959 R.R.1 Kincardine, Ontario N2Z 2X3 Toll e-519-955-0954 Direcctt Line: 519-955-0664 www.lakerangerealty.ca ANSWER E Ell E. 1 6. ii r 7 L L S' E 2 217.5 F E ci 8 5 3 i ' 8 l 5 ,®UD 7 B S B ®HlagElv 4 I- 56 5 f 1 cI,®L 4 j '7 3 5 1 i mu 6 L: 2 D 17.0 1 I 9 8 , '6 4 LeS I:.hdrrn[atd Wednesday, April 20, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 7 Snobelen Farms found niche business opportunity in non -GM soybeans Darryl Coote Reporter People have no idea how many products soy is in, said Troy Snobelen, presi- dent and owner of Snobe- len Farms Ltd.. "Soy's in a lot of prod- ucts, you know, as flour," he said from the company's Lucknow headquarters. "Soy flour is in a lot of prod- ucts you don't even know about. Protein additives, big time, right? People have no idea." Established in 1971, Sno- belen Farms is a family owned and operated busi- ness that deals in process- ing and trading grains, oil- seeds and pedigree seeds. With its five grain elevators, the company deals within a 160km radius with approxi- mately 300 farmers, buying their foodstuffs, adding value to it through clean- ing, processing and pack- aging and then shipping them out. While the company also works in wheat, barley, oats, corn and other grains, it is soy that it ships inter- nationally -- and not just any soy, but specifically non -genetically modified (GM) soy. Over a large conference table with an equally large map of the world behind him, Snobelen ticked off the countries his company ships the legum to. "So right now we deal with England, we do some stuff into the Netherlands, do some stuff into Poland, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan. Yeah, about nine or 10 countries depending on the year, right? Every year is different, right? Depends on market demand," he said. International soybean exports account for 40 per cent of Snobelen's busi- ness, he said. Most is shipped to Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong, Japan and England to be made into milk and flour, tofu, miso and a traditional japa- nese side dish called natta. Snobelen Farms began its international dealings in 1997, and its foreign deal- ings almost mirror the his- tory of GM soy in Ontario. According to Snobelen, in the mid-1990s GM soy was introduced to farming in Ontario, which is one of the world's largest soy pro- ducers due to having a "superior climate" for the legume. Unlike Canada, countries such as Japan, China, South Korea and the United King- dom have long had strin- gent labelling requirements for GM ingredients. This environment created a niche market opportunity for non -GM soy farmers in Ontario, Snobelen said. "Consumer demand for non-GMO (genetically modified organisms), non - GM ingredients basically, was our driver for the non- GMO program," he said. And when the world came looking for non -GM soy, some found the stoop HAWK Theatre cast ready for spring production HAWK Theatre's opening night 'Sex Please We're Sixty' is set for April 28. Evening shows run at 7:30 p.m. on April 29-30, a matinee on May 1 at 2:30 p.m. and May 5-7 at the Lucknow Town Hall Thea- tre. Tickets are $15 and the facility is accessible with an elevator. Intended for adult audi- ences, tickets can be pur- chased at Everlastings Flowers and Gifts, Lucknow Public Library, Ripley Vari- ety, Jerome Flowers and Gifts in Kincardine, Earth Angel in Wingham and All Around the House in Goderich. Synopsis Mrs. Stancliffe's Rose Cottage Bed & Breakfast has been successful for many years. Her older female guests return year after year, perhaps to experience romance with her elderly, silver-tongued neighbour Bud "Bud the Stud" Davis. Mrs. Stan- cliffe's other neighbor, and would-be suitor, is Henry Mitchell, a retired chemist who has devel- oped a blue pill called "Venusia" to increase the libido of menopausal women. When the may- hem settles down, all the women find their lives moving in new and sur- prising directions. Submitted Snobelen Farms President Troy Snobelen stands out front his Lucknow grain elevators. He took over the company from his father, Mike Snobelen 2005. of Snobelen Farms. Or as Snobelen put it, "We saw the market demand come to us." The first company to inquire was from England, he said, but soon after Asian companies followed. Since then, Ontario has seen a steady increase in the number of GM -soybean farmers further entrench- ing this niche market and increasing demand for non -GM soy. The start of his company's international business occurred too long ago for Sno- belen to recall his reaction to the initial interest from global companies as it was almost 20 years ago, but he said Snobe- len Farms looked at the opportunity, assessed it and wanted in. "We haven't really looked back," he said. The 35 -employee strong company is always continuing to look for opportunities, he said, but for the immediate future Snobelen Farms will concentrate on "maximizing efficiencies and maximizing the volume that goes through the grain elevators." Asked to elaborate, Snobe- len said, "If you want to be in the grain business in Ontario you have to focus on receiving and dumping and unloading the trucks quickly so the farm- ers can get back to the fields for more." Relationships, he said, is an important part of cultivating and growing trade in the grain elevator business. From customers to their banks, their employees to their international partners, he said Snobelen Farms strives for strong relation- ships with all they do busi- Submitted HAWK Theatre's 'Sex Please We're Sixty' opens April 28, 2016 and runs shows April 29-30, May 1, 5-7, 2016. Pictured: L -R: Maureen Matchett (Producer/Director), Mackenzie Carruthers (Asst. Director), Vivien King -Sherwood (Charmaine), Vicky Morrison (Victoria), Bill Cooper (Bud), Lynne Jewson (Hillary), Jonathan Nelson (Henry), Lynn Shepherd -Adamson (Mrs. Stancliffe), Monika Friederich (Producer/Marketing) ness with. "We pride ourselves on keeping very close contact with our customers, and that's true whether it's a farmer whose delivering grain to us or a customer oversee who's buying grain. We have pretty good relationships and we try to maintain them as much as we can, he said. It's an important part of Snobelen Farms' success, he said, and it is reason they've been able to retain staff. Some employees, he said, have been there 40 years. "I've got two employees that've been with us for 40 years. I've got six employees that have been here for 15 years or longer. So of that 35 half of them have been here 10 years of longer," he said. "We've got it pretty good. We've got pretty good employees. Our employees are our best asset. They are amazing and we couldn't do what we do without" A week before this Febru- ary interview took place, Snobelen was in England with a customer touring a supermarket, the name of which he couldn't recall. Five brands of bread con- tained soy flour that had come from Snobelen Farms. "It is cool," he said. "And 100 per cent of that soy flour was coming from us." Asked how it felt to know the soybeans grown, har- vested and packaged in the Lucknow area were being used in a staple food almost 6,000 kms away, the rather reserved Snobelen said "it was pretty satisfying." He even took a picture of his daughter holding a bag of Vogel's bread, made with lin- seed and soy. This is the fifth article in a six -part business series on Lucknow companies with international reach. SUDOKU THIS WEEK'S PUZZLE SPONSORED BY Mitchell Twolan, Broker of Record Lake Range Realty Ltd. Brokerage 3430 Concession 2, Point Clark Office: 519-395-3959 R.R.1 Kincardine, Ontario N2Z 2X3 Toll e-519-955-0954 Direcctt Line: 519-955-0664 www.lakerangerealty.ca ANSWER E Ell E. 1 d r ISM L L S' E 2 a F E ci g..E 5 - i 9El l 5 ,®UD B S B ®HlagElv I- E 5 f 1 cI,®L Hopi/ 6 fl U mu L: D 17.0 BEIM 9 El8El To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: • Each of the nine vertical columns • Each of the nine horizontal rows • Each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes • Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box