Inland Empire Milling Company

What Inland Empire Milling Company does

Inland Empire Milling Company, Inc. (IEMC) is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural commodity merchant founded in 1919 by Ernest Schauble and headquartered in St. John, Washington. The company procures grains, pulses, oilseeds, and specialty crops from Pacific Northwest farmers and resells them to domestic and international buyers, with a Chicago-area office (Arlington Heights, IL) opened in 2008 to source Midwest corn and soybeans and to handle export sales. Operating from multiple facility locations — including a mill, a pea plant, Pleasant Valley, and Pine City — IEMC handles containerized export shipments, certified seed sales, and custom seed blending, and is Kosher and Halal certified for food-grade buyers.

IEMC's product portfolio spans seven wheat classes (Soft White, Hard White, Western White, 100% Club, Dark Northern Spring, Hard Red Winter, Soft Red Winter), malting and feed barley varieties (Lenetah, Lyon, Lacey, Hulless), pulses and forage peas (Ginny 2, Hampton, Passion, Austrian Winter, Compass, Journey, Icicle, Keystone), feed grains (feed barley, oats, yellow corn, cull peas), and adjacent commodities (millet, popcorn, soybeans, flax, chickpeas, lentils, edible beans, nuts). Pricing follows a Portland (coast) basis with protein-scale adjustments and a fuel surcharge; certified seed is supplied under a partnership with Washington State Crop Improvement Association, and proprietary forage pea varieties are co-developed with Progene Plant Research (with Plant Variety Protection secured on the Compass variety).

The business model is sales-led and transaction-based. Revenue is generated through gross-margin commodity trading on wheat, barley, peas, soybeans, corn, lentils, and other pulses, plus per-bushel fees for seed sales (custom blending at $0.15/bu). Customer segments are vertical: international export buyers (food, feed, and malt end-uses), local and regional PNW farmers (procurement side), and U.S. domestic buyers (feed operations, food manufacturers, grain traders). GTM is primarily direct via phone, email, and a daily online bid system (iemc.com), supplemented by an Instagram presence and SMS/email bid notifications; no public listings, app platforms, or proprietary trading technology are evident.

Name

Inland Empire Milling Company

Legal name

Inland Empire Milling Company, Inc.

Website

https://iemc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inland Empire Milling Company is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural commodity merchant in St. John, Washington that procures wheat, barley, pulses, and specialty crops from Pacific Northwest farmers and sells them domestically and internationally via containerized export shipments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodity Trading and Export

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510), Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (42451)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities (AFAOAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Country & Inland Grain Elevators (Receiving/Shipping) (AFAOAAAA), Rail-Served Bulk Grain Terminals & Transload Warehouses (AFAOACAD)

Keywords

• Grain commodity trading
• Agricultural export services
• Pulse crop distribution
• Certified seed sales
• Wheat barley trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint John

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commodity Trading: IEMC generates revenue through buying and selling agricultural commodities including wheat, barley, peas, soybeans, corn, lentils, and other grains. They procure from local farmers and sell to domestic and international markets. Pricing is quoted as Portland (coast) price with adjustments for protein content, freight, handling, and storage.
2. Seed Sales: The company sells certified seeds including wheat, barley, and pea varieties. Seed is certified by Washington State Crop Improvement Association. Custom blending available at $0.15/bu. Products include Soft White Wheat (Louise, Ryan), Red Wheat (Glee, Kelse), Barley (Lenetah, Survivor), and Spring Peas (Passion, Compass).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inland Empire Milling Company is a family-owned grain commodity trader and exporter that procures wheat, barley, peas, corn, soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, millet, flax, popcorn, oats, nuts, and other agricultural commodities from Pacific Northwest and Midwest farmers. The company sells these commodities to domestic buyers and international export customers, including whole and split peas, forage peas, malting and feed barley, multiple wheat classes, and certified seeds (wheat, barley, peas) with custom blending, machine cleaning, and packaging. Operations are supported by a mill and pea plant in St. John, WA, additional elevators at Pleasant Valley and Pine City, and a Chicago sales office managing worldwide containerized export shipments, with Kosher and Halal certification for food-grade buyers.

Product overview

Inland Empire Milling Company is a family-owned commodity trading and export company founded in 1919, operating as a single-product-service business focused on western U.S. agricultural commodities. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of wheat varieties (Soft White, Hard White, Western White, Club, Dark Northern Spring, Hard Red Winter, Soft Red Winter), barley (malting, feed, and food grades including Lenetah, Lyon, Lacey, and Hulless), pulses including whole and split peas (Ginny 2, Hampton, Passion, Austrian Winter Peas, and forage varieties Compass, Journey, Icicle, Keystone), feed commodities (Feed Barley, Oats, Yellow Corn, Cull Peas), and other agricultural products (Millet, Popcorn, Soybeans, Flax, Chickpeas, Lentils, Edible Beans, and Nuts). The portfolio also includes certified seed sales with custom blending services, and export/logistics services with containerized shipment capabilities. All products are available certified organic and can be machine cleaned and packaged according to customer needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wheat (multiple classes) Wheat varieties for domestic and export markets, including soft/hard white, club, western white blends, dark northern spring, and hard/soft red winter classes, with protein specifications for milling, baking, and food applications.
• Barley (malting, food, feed) Barley varieties offered for food, malt production, and livestock feed, including two-row and six-row malting types and feed barley.
• Peas (whole green, split, forage) Whole and split peas, including dry edible green peas for food/snack markets, winter peas for wildlife plots, forage, and livestock feed, plus Progene-developed forage pea varieties.
• Other pulses and grains (Chickpeas, Lentils, Edible Beans, Millet, Oats, Yellow Corn, Cull Peas) Chickpeas, lentils, edible beans, millet, oats, yellow corn, and cull peas sold for food, feed, birdseed, and industrial uses in domestic and export markets.
• Soybeans, Flax, and Popcorn GMO soybeans for domestic and international markets, flax seed and processed meal for food and feed applications, and popcorn varieties in human food grade and birdseed quality.
• Nuts (walnuts, almonds, and others) Various nut varieties including walnuts and almonds offered for domestic and export markets.
• Certified Seed Products with Custom Blending Certified wheat, barley, and pea seed varieties with custom seed blending at $0.15/bu; all seed certified by Washington State Crop Improvement Association. Available treated or untreated for farmer planting needs.
• Commodity Export Services Commodity export services through the Chicago office (opened November 2008) with a dedicated export documentation specialist, a worldwide network of trusted resources, and containerized shipment capabilities from company facilities and partner suppliers.
• Grain Processing and Handling (Mill and Pea Plant) Grain processing, cleaning, and packaging services performed at IEMC's St. John mill and pea plant, with additional elevator capacity at Pleasant Valley and Pine City, including machine cleaning and custom packaging (containers, bags, totes).

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ years in business since 1919
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Progene Plant Research, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgene Plant Research, LLC breeds and develops pea varieties that IEMC distributes and sells. IEMC carries several Progene varieties including Compass Spring Forage Peas, Keystone and Icicle Winter Forage Peas, and Journey Spring Forage Pea. The partnership enables IEMC to offer proprietary forage pea varieties developed specifically for livestock forage, cover crops, and wildlife food plots.
• Washington State Crop Improvement AssociationcoreOthersWashington State Crop Improvement Association provides seed certification services for IEMC's seed products. All seed sold by IEMC is certified by the Association, ensuring seed quality and variety authenticity.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Columbia Grain International: Pacific Northwest grain merchandiser and exporter of wheat, pulses, and oilseeds with country elevator assets and international container export capabilities. Operates the same farm-to-export model across the same PNW geography as IEMC.
• The Scoular Company: Privately held grain and food ingredient merchandiser with multi-commodity origination, containerized export capabilities, and similar mid-size private company profile. Comparable in product breadth and farmer-procurement orientation.
• Hansen-Mueller Co. Family-owned multi-commodity grain merchandiser with elevator operations and containerized export services. Similar privately held profile and comparable in trading wheat, barley, corn, and pulses to domestic and international buyers.
• AGT Food and Ingredients: Global pulse crop merchandiser and processor specializing in lentils, peas, chickpeas, and beans with significant origination and containerized export operations. Highly comparable pulse-focused trading model to IEMC's pea and lentil book.
• Sunflower Ag LLC: Pacific Northwest regional grain and pulse merchandiser with origination across Washington and surrounding states. Similar mid-size privately held structure and focus on PNW wheat and pulses for export markets.
• Highline Grain LLC: Pacific Northwest country elevator cooperative merchandising wheat, barley, and other grains. Operates in the same geographic origination footprint and serves overlapping export and domestic buyer channels.

Regional players

• Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative: PNW farmer-owned cooperative offering grain origination, handling, and merchandising across the same Washington/Idaho geography. Competitor for farmer bushels and overlapping buyer base though structured as a co-op rather than a private merchant.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global agricultural commodity giant with significant wheat, barley, pulse, and oilseed origination and export operations across the U.S., including PNW port terminals. Sets market prices against which IEMC's Portland-based quotes are benchmarked.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Multinational agricultural processor and merchandiser trading grains, oilseeds, and pulses globally with extensive origination and export logistics. Overlaps with IEMC across wheat, corn, and soybean origination and export channels.
• Bunge Limited: Global agribusiness and food company with major grain origination, processing, and export operations across the Americas. Competes for farmer bushels and export customers across overlapping wheat, corn, and oilseed categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstragram.com/yourgrainssj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iemcinc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Inland Empire Milling Company