Sharpe Farm Supplies

What Sharpe Farm Supplies does

Sharpe Farm Supplies Ltd. is a Canadian family-owned agricultural supply retailer headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, operating for over 30 years under the Sharpe family. The company runs a multi-channel ag-retail platform comprising 14 physical storefronts across Ontario (from St. George in the south to Sudbury/Espanola in the north), two interprovincial track-access points at Woodbine Racetrack and Assiniboia Downs, an e-commerce site with store-level pricing and tiered delivery fees, and three grain elevators (Guelph, Swinton Park, Spring Bay) handling corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, and canola with cash bids, forward contracting, and on-farm pickup.

The product portfolio spans five functional pillars: agronomy (seed, fertilizer, crop protection products from Syngenta, BASF, Corteva, Bayer, and Nufarm, plus a proprietary custom blending capability installed in 2014 and crop scouting/diagnostics); animal nutrition (ruminant, equine, swine, and aquaculture consulting with in-house specialists and ration-balancing support across brands including Purina, Brooks, Buckeye, and the company-owned Bluewater Fish Food brand); grain handling and merchandising via the three elevators; an omnichannel retail assortment covering equine, poultry, livestock, pet, wild bird, lawn & garden, and rural-living categories; and a dealer/wholesale channel. The Bluewater Fish Food brand, acquired in 2018, extends the nutrition offering into North American aquaculture.

Revenue is generated through one-time retail product sales across all categories, transaction-based grain elevator operations (cash sales, storage, forward contracting), and professional-service agronomy and nutrition consulting. The Sharpe Family directly operates key business units — Paul Sharpe (Grain & Feed), John Sharpe (Bulk Logistics / Guelph Elevator), Michael Sharpe (Agronomy), Kaitlyn Sharpe (Agronomy Support) — alongside a Controller (Gerry Minor) and functional managers. The company employs 51–100 staff, holds a WSIB certification, and received $600,000 in Government of Canada funding in August 2023.

Name

Sharpe Farm Supplies

Legal name

Sharpe Farm Supplies Ltd.

Website

https://sharpefarmsupplies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sharpe Farm Supplies is a Canadian family-owned agricultural retailer based in Guelph, Ontario, operating 14 retail stores, 3 grain elevators, and an e-commerce platform serving Ontario livestock, equine, crop, and rural-living customers with agronomy, nutrition, and grain-handling services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Supply Retail

NAICS

Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491), Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Pasture Supply Retail (Feed Supplements, Animal Health Inputs) (AFABAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hay Products (Baled, Chopped, Cubes) (AFADAHAA), Livestock & Dairy Equipment (IMAHACAG)

Keywords

• Agricultural retail supply
• Animal feed products
• Crop protection services
• Grain elevator operations
• Livestock nutrition consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Guelph

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Sale of animal feed, agricultural products, pet supplies, lawn and garden products through retail stores and online platform. Includes own branded products (SFS) and third-party brands.
2. Grain Elevator Operations: Three grain elevator locations (Guelph, Swinton Park, Spring Bay) providing grain storage, forward contracting, cash sales, and on-farm pickup services.
3. Agronomy Services: Crop input sales including seeds, crop protection, fertilizer, soil testing, crop diagnostics, and application services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sharpe Farm Supplies is a Canadian family-owned agricultural retailer selling animal feed, seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, pet supplies, equine products, poultry supplies, livestock feed, wild bird products, and lawn and garden products through 14 retail locations across Ontario and an e-commerce platform. The company also offers specialized agronomy and nutrition consulting services for ruminant, equine, swine, and aquaculture species, and operates three grain elevator locations providing storage, cash bidding, and forward contracting services.

Product overview

Sharpe Farm Supplies is a Canadian family-owned agricultural supply company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for livestock, poultry, equine, pets, and lawn/garden care. The company operates primarily as a multi-category retail and wholesale supplier with an e-commerce platform, supported by specialized nutrition consulting services. The core offering consists of: (1) an e-commerce platform for online purchasing with store location-based pricing; (2) agronomy services including seed sales, crop protection, fertilizers, and crop diagnostics; (3) animal nutrition services for ruminants, swine, equine, and aquaculture; (4) grain elevator operations with cash bidding services; and (5) an extensive range of branded products across equine (feeds, bedding, health, grooming, fly control), poultry (feed, waterers, feeders, accessories), livestock (feeds, minerals, milk replacers, specialty feeds), pet (dog, cat, small pet), wild bird (seeds, suet, feeders), and lawn/garden (fertilizers, soils, seeds, tools) categories. The company also acquired Bluewater Fish Food in 2018 to expand into aquaculture nutrition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bluewater Fish Food: High-quality fish food products for aquaculture, acquired by Sharpe Farm Supplies in 2018

Products and services

• Agronomy Services Crop input services including seed sales, crop protection products, fertilizer sales (including custom blending), soil testing, crop diagnostics, application services, and IP Soybeans programs for crop farmers across Ontario.
• Ruminant Nutrition Services Beef and dairy feed consulting services including ration balancing, Beef Pro ration modeling, Dairy Cow Signals workshops, DairyComp305 analysis, forage support, and commodity valuation for livestock producers.
• Equine Nutrition Services Equine nutrition consultation including ration balancing, body condition scoring, hay testing, and nutritional advice for performance, recreational, and senior horses.
• Swine Nutrition Services Swine feed programs including ration balancing, commodity sourcing, marketing services, grain elevator access, and complete packages including pig sourcing and marketing contracts for commercial and home-grown swine producers.
• Bluewater Fish Food (Aquaculture Nutrition) High-quality fish food products for aquaculture operations, providing customized diets for various species, R&D commitment, and bag and tote delivery for fish farmers.
• Grain Elevator Services Grain handling and storage at three elevator locations (Guelph, Swinton Park, Spring Bay) accepting corn, soybeans, non-GMO soybeans, wheat varieties, barley, oats, and canola. Includes forward contracting, cash sales, on-farm pickup, and fast receiving pits.
• Cash Bids Grain Pricing Service Grain pricing and contracting service providing cash prices, futures prices, and basis for commodities at Sharpe Farm Supplies and Spring Bay elevator locations.
• Sharpe Farm Supplies E-commerce Online Store Online shopping platform offering thousands of Canadian products for livestock and pets, with store location selection, location-based pricing, volume discounts, and delivery/shipping options.
• Sharpe Loyalty Program Customer loyalty program offering rewards such as buy 10 bags of pet food and get the 11th free, with some conditions applying.
• Equine Feed Products Horse feed products including complete feeds, ration balancers, supplements, and minerals from brands such as Purina, Brooks, Buckeye, Masterfeed, Tribute, and Sharpe brand oats.
• Livestock Feed Products Animal feeds including dairy rations, sheep/lamb feeds, beef rations, calf starters, and specialty livestock feeds for cattle, sheep, and other livestock.
• Poultry Feed and Supplies Chicken and poultry feeds including Scratch Grain, Laymash, layer feeds, chick starters, turkey and gamebird feeds, organic options, plus waterers, feeders, and accessories for poultry keepers.
• Wild Bird Products Bird seed products including sunflower seeds, millet, nyjer, peanuts, safflower, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, suet cakes, hummingbird/oriole nectars, and bird feeders from brands such as Armstrong, Mill Creek, Brome, and Pinebush.
• Lawn and Garden Products Fertilizers for lawns and gardens, soils and mulch (peat moss, potting mix, top soil, play sand), lawn seeds from Speare Seeds, and garden tools from brands such as Garant, Scotts, and Evergarden.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dedicated team from front counter to crop scouts and specialists to yard staff

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bluewater Fish FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founded by John Woodhouse in 2017, Bluewater Fish Food was acquired by Sharpe Farm Supplies in 2018. The company produces high-quality fish food for sustainable aquaculture production in North America and continues to operate as a brand under Sharpe Farm Supplies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Growmark / FS Partners: Growmark is a large North American agricultural cooperative whose Ontario affiliate (FS Partners) directly competes with Sharpe Farm Supplies in crop inputs, agronomy services, and farm supply retail across Ontario. Highly comparable product mix (seed, fertilizer, crop protection) and shared co-op vs. independent retailer dynamic.
• Parrish & Heimbecker: Parrish & Heimbecker operates grain elevators and crop input retail across Ontario, overlapping with Sharpe's three elevator locations and agronomy services. Directly comparable in vertically integrated grain handling plus farm supply.
• UAP Inc. UAP is a major Canadian crop protection and seed distributor selling through a retail/dealer network that competes directly with Sharpe's agronomy and seed offerings. Comparable customer base (Canadian row-crop and specialty crop farmers).
• Peavey Mart (Peavey Industries): Peavey Mart is a Western Canadian farm and ranch retail chain carrying livestock feed, pet, equine, and rural living products similar to Sharpe's broad retail assortment. Directly comparable farm-supply retail model and SKU breadth.
• Premier Equipment: Premier Equipment is an Ontario-based John Deere agricultural equipment retailer serving farmers across multiple Ontario branches, comparable to Sharpe as a multi-location Ontario ag retailer with overlapping farmer customer base.
• Wallenstein Feed & Supply: Wallenstein Feed & Supply is an Ontario-based independent feed and farm supply retailer offering livestock, poultry, and pet products. Comparable mid-sized Ontario farm supply footprint and SKU categories.
• Floradale Feed Mill: Floradale Feed Mill is an Ontario-based feed manufacturer and farm supply retailer producing custom livestock feeds. Directly comparable custom-blending and Ontario livestock feed positioning to Sharpe.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill Animal Nutrition: Cargill's animal nutrition business is a global feed manufacturer with significant Canadian presence, including feeds and nutrition consulting referenced via Sharpe's Cargill-affiliated beef consultant. Competes broadly in livestock and equine nutrition rather than Sharpe's specific Ontario retail niche.
• ADM Animal Nutrition: ADM operates a large-scale animal feed manufacturing and ingredient business that competes with Sharpe in livestock and equine nutrition. Much broader portfolio and global scale; overlaps only on selected feed categories.

Regional players

• Otter Farm & Garden Co-operative: Otter Co-op is a British Columbia-based farm supply, feed, and garden retail co-operative. Comparable farm supply retail model with pet/livestock/garden categories, but operates in Western Canada rather than Sharpe's Ontario footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharpefarmsupplies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharpe-farm-supplies-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/sharpefarmsupplies/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sharpe Farm Supplies