Columbia Grain

Name

Columbia Grain

Legal name

Columbia Grain International LLC

Website

https://columbiagrain.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodities Trading

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities (AFAOAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rail-Served Bulk Grain Terminals & Transload Warehouses (AFAOACAD)

Keywords

• Grain origination
• Pulse processing
• Agricultural commodities
• Seed agronomy services
• Grain merchandising

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices35 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grain Origination and Trading: Columbia Grain originates grains, pulses, oilseeds, and organics from over 8,000 farmers across the northern tier of the United States. The company aggregates commodities and sells them to domestic and international customers, generating revenue through the margin between origination and sale prices.
2. Processing Services: The company operates processing plants that clean, sort, and process pulses and other commodities. Revenue is generated through processing fees and the sale of processed products.
3. Seed and Agronomy Products: Columbia Grain provides seed products and agronomy services through its network of seed and agronomy centers, generating revenue from product sales and service fees.
4. Logistics and Transportation: The company operates logistics infrastructure including grain elevators, barge loading facilities, and export terminals. Revenue is generated through handling and transportation fees.
5. Risk Management Consulting: Producer Solutions offers marketing tools and risk management consulting services to help farmers optimize their grain sales, generating value through increased farmer loyalty and origination volume.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Columbia Grain International (CGI) is a vertically-integrated agribusiness that originates, processes, and distributes grains, pulses, oilseeds, and organic commodities across the northern tier of the United States. The company operates a network of more than 30 grain elevators, six pulse processing facilities, and four seed and agronomy centers, partnering with over 8,000 farmers to aggregate crops that are sold to domestic and international food companies. CGI also offers Producer Solutions, a marketing and risk management platform providing market commentary, USDA charts, contracting tools, and Bushel-powered contract management.

Product overview

Columbia Grain International (CGI) operates as a vertically-integrated agribusiness platform offering commodity products (wheat, barley, pulses, oilseeds, corn, and organics) alongside technology-enabled producer services. The core product portfolio includes physical grain origination and distribution through a network of 40+ grain elevators, pulse processing facilities, and seed & agronomy centers across the U.S. northern tier. Producer Solutions serves as the company's primary service platform, providing marketing tools including Cash Contracts, Hedge-to-Arrive Contracts, Basis Contracting, and structured accumulator products (Knock-Out Accumulator, No Barrier Accumulator), complemented by video commentary, USDA charts, and the Bushel Platform for contract management. The company also offers internal digital tools such as the CGI Mapping Project dashboard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Balanced Bushel: Organic grain milled products brand acquired through Great River Milling
• Enrich Foods LLC

Products and services

• Producer Solutions A marketing and risk management platform offering producers up-to-the-minute market insights, daily commentary videos from Phil Symons and the merchant team, daily recap reports, USDA charts, contracting options, and a Bushel-powered portal for cash bids, contract management, and settlements. Designed for the 8,000+ farmers who partner with CGI across the U.S. northern tier.
• Seed & Agronomy Services Seed variety options, cleaning, and treatment services provided through four seed and agronomy centers located in Pullman WA, Nez Perce ID, Climax MN, and Larimore ND. Offers the 2026 Seed Program covering wheat, barley, pulses, and oilseeds.
• Logistics & Distribution Barge loading, rail, and transportation services including the Central Ferry, WA barge loader, enabling movement of commodities through the supply chain to domestic food companies and international export markets.
• Wheat Hard Red Winter Wheat from Montana and Hard Red Spring Wheat (Dark Northern Spring) grown in Montana and North Dakota, used for noodles, bread, and blending applications in domestic and export food manufacturing markets.
• Barley Malt Barley used by maltsters for premium malt production and feed barley for food and feed channels, with varieties developed for human consumption markets.
• Oilseeds (Flax, Canola, Mustard) Brown and Golden Flax grown for milling and crush markets; conventional and Non-GMO Canola primarily grown in North Dakota, Montana, and Washington for crush markets; brown and yellow Mustard varieties grown primarily in North Dakota and Montana for human consumption markets.
• Beans (Chickpeas, Pinto, Black, Great Northern, Navy, Kidney, Small Red) Multiple dry bean varieties propagated in Montana, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Includes Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, Pinto, Black, Great Northern, Navy, Kidney, and Small Red Beans used in stews, chilis, baked beans, hummus, salads, and Latin/Creole cuisines; organic options available.
• Peas Naturally non-GMO Whole Green Peas, Whole Yellow Peas, Split Green Peas, Split Yellow Peas, and Polished Split Peas used in soups, casseroles, pet and livestock feed, and plant-based protein applications; peas add nitrogen to soil, improving conditions for subsequent crops.
• Lentils Includes Extra Small Red Lentils, Pardina Lentils, Small Green Lentils, Small Red Lentils, and Large Green Lentils in various sizes and colors for export and domestic consumption; high in fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates.
• Feed Grains (Yellow Corn, Austrian Winter Peas) Yellow Corn primarily grown in the Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska) with uses for biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), animal feed, and industrial and human consumption value-added products. Austrian Winter Peas are cool-season annual legumes that can withstand cold conditions across the continental U.S. and parts of Canada.
• Balanced Bushel (Organic Grain Milled Products) Organic grain milled products marketed under the Balanced Bushel brand, distributed through consumer and food service channels after CGI's acquisition of Great River Milling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports over 8,000 farmers with comprehensive agricultural services
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Great River MillingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023In June 2023, Columbia Grain International acquired Great River Milling for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition integrated Great River Milling's Balanced Bushel brand into CGI's portfolio of organic grain milled products, expanding CGI's processing capabilities and product offerings in the organic segment.
• Bushel (Portal Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationBushel provides the digital platform powering CGI's producer portal for cash bids, contracts, and settlements. The platform enables real-time access to pricing and contract management for farmers. CGI has integrated Bushel as its primary digital interface for producer services.
• Enrich Foods LLCstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnrich Foods LLC is a platform for CGI's consumer-facing business expansion. The company plans to grow its CPG business through this platform as part of its strategy to connect producers directly with consumers. This aligns with parent company Marubeni's digital transformation and traceability goals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AGT Foods: Canadian-headquartered pulse processor and merchandiser specializing in lentils, peas, chickpeas, and beans — directly comparable to CGI's pulse processing operations, though with different geographic footprint (Canadian Prairies vs. U.S. northern tier).
• Gavilon: Sister Marubeni subsidiary acquired by Marubeni in 2023, operating grain origination, merchandising, and export terminals — directly comparable in operations and product mix to CGI, with overlapping parent-company strategic oversight.
• The Andersons: Vertically-integrated agribusiness operating grain elevators, processing plants, and food ingredient distribution in the U.S. Midwest — directly comparable in business model (origination, merchandising, value-added processing) and customer profile to CGI.
• Bay State Milling: Privately-held U.S. grain milling company with organic and specialty flour processing operations — comparable to CGI's Great River Milling / Balanced Bushel acquisition in the value-added organic milling niche.
• Scoular: Privately-held grain merchandiser and food ingredient company with origination networks across the U.S. — matches CGI in private ownership profile, multi-commmodity origination, and downstream food-ingredient positioning.
• CHS Inc. U.S. farmer-owned cooperative operating grain elevators, processing facilities, and agronomy services across the northern tier — closely aligned with CGI's vertically-integrated origination model, customer base (8,000+ farmers), and B2B food company sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness and grain merchandiser operating extensive elevator networks and processing — overlaps with CGI's full stack but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach across multiple commodity platforms.
• Viterra: Global grain and oilseed merchandiser (formerly Glencore Agriculture) operating origination networks and export terminals across the Americas, Europe, and Asia — broadly comparable vertically-integrated model at significantly larger scale.
• Bunge Global: Global grain originator, merchandiser, and processor with oilseed processing and export terminal operations — overlaps with CGI's origination-to-export model but operates at multi-continent scale.

Emerging players

• SunOpta: Plant-based and specialty food ingredient company focused on organic, non-GMO, and plant-protein ingredients — comparable in the plant-based protein trajectory CGI is targeting via pulse processing and Great River Milling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/columbiagrain
• Facebookfacebook.com/cgicolumbiagraininternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/columbia-grain
• Instagraminstagram.com/columbia_grain_international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Columbia Grain