Tank Traders
Tank Traders is Canada's national propane tank exchange brand, operating through thousands of retail partner locations coast-to-coast. Founded in 2001, the company manages the full cylinder lifecycle—filling, distribution, refurbishment, and recycling—with two US subsidiaries extending operations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersLa Salle, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tank Traders does
Tank Traders is the consumer-facing brand of Vomar Industries Inc., a privately held Canadian corporation founded in 2001 in La Salle, Manitoba. The company operates Canada's national propane tank exchange program, serving individual consumers who use propane cylinders for BBQs, patio heaters, camping, and other outdoor activities. Tank Traders delivers its service exclusively through a channel partner network of thousands of retail locations spanning food, gas, convenience, and home improvement retailers—including 7-Eleven, Canadian Tire, Circle K, Home Depot, Walmart, Loblaws, Shell, Petro-Canada, Lowe's, Rona, and Sobeys—where customers exchange empty tanks for pre-filled replacements.
The underlying technology and operating capability is a vertically integrated propane cylinder logistics and refurbishment system. Tank Traders is described as the only Canadian company to manage the full tank lifecycle in-house: inspection, cleaning, refurbishment, filling, delivery to retail partners, and end-of-life recycling. The platform is supported by nine strategically placed distribution and refurbishment centers across Canada, enabling 2.7 million cylinders to be filled and delivered annually in Canada. The company also controls two US corporations—Tank Traders Missouri Inc. and Tank Traders Midwest Inc.—which fill and deliver an additional 900,000 cylinders annually, extending the same exchange model into the United States.
Tank Traders generates revenue primarily through transaction-based exchange fees paid by consumers at partner retail locations; no direct-to-consumer sales channel is operated. The company employs 100+ people on a baseline basis, scaling to 275–350 seasonally. It is a founder/operator-controlled private corporation with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, and it has earned six appearances on Canadian Business Magazine's PROFIT 500 list of Canada's fastest-growing companies (2013–2017 and 2020).
Tank Traders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tank Traders
- Legal name
- Vomar Industries Inc.
- Website
- https://tanktraders.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Tank Traders is Canada's national propane tank exchange brand, operating through thousands of retail partner locations coast-to-coast. Founded in 2001, the company manages the full cylinder lifecycle—filling, distribution, refurbishment, and recycling—with two US subsidiaries extending operations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Tank Traders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La Salle
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tank Traders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Propane Cylinder Exchange: Customers exchange their empty propane cylinders for pre-filled replacements at participating retail partner locations. The company manages the entire supply chain including filling, distribution, maintenance, and recycling of cylinders.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Tank Traders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tank Traders operates a national propane tank exchange program that allows customers to swap empty propane cylinders for pre-filled, inspected, and certified replacements at partner retail locations across Canada. The company manages the entire tank lifecycle including inspection, cleaning, refurbishment, filling, delivery, maintenance, and end-of-life recycling, supported by nine distribution and refurbishment centers coast to coast.
Product overview
Tank Traders® operates a single integrated propane tank exchange program — a national propane exchange service in which the company manages the complete cylinder lifecycle from fill to till and back again. The offering consists of two core components: (1) the Propane Tank Exchange Program, which allows customers to exchange empty propane cylinders for pre-filled replacements at thousands of partner retail locations across Canada, and (2) Propane Refurbishment & Recycling, which encompasses the company's inspection, cleaning, filling, distribution, maintenance, and end-of-life recycling of all tanks. The company does not offer a multi-product platform or modular product architecture; it is a single, unified exchange service backed by nine strategically placed distribution and refurbishment centers across the country.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Propane Tank Exchange Program A nationwide propane cylinder exchange program allowing customers to trade empty tanks for pre-filled, inspected, and certified replacements at partner retail locations across Canada. Targeted at individual consumers who use propane for BBQs, patio heaters, camping, and other outdoor appliances, and delivered through a network of gas stations, convenience stores, home improvement stores, and grocery retailers.
- Propane Refurbishment and Recycling Full lifecycle management of propane cylinders, including inspection, cleaning, refurbishment, filling, delivery, and responsible end-of-life decommissioning and recycling. Operated through nine strategically placed distribution and refurbishment centers in Canada, supporting the company's exchange program and ensuring tanks are always safe, certified, and ready for use.
Companies that use Tank Traders
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tank Traders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Tank Traders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
30 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- 7-Elevencore7-Eleven convenience stores across Canada serve as propane cylinder exchange locations for Tank Traders customers.
- Canadian TirecoreCanadian Tire retail locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Circle KcoreCircle K convenience stores across Canada serve as propane exchange locations.
- ChevroncoreChevron gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Home DepotcoreHome Depot home improvement locations serve as propane exchange locations.
- LoblawscoreLoblaws grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- WalmartcoreWalmart retail locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- LowescoreLowe's home improvement stores serve as propane exchange locations.
- Petro-CanadacorePetro-Canada gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- ShellcoreShell gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- SobeyscoreSobeys grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- RonacoreRona home improvement stores serve as propane exchange locations.
- HuskycoreHusky gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- ACE CanadacoreACE Hardware Canada stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Home HardwarecoreHome Hardware stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- MetrocoreMetro grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Save-On-FoodscoreSave-On-Foods grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Real Canadian SuperstorecoreReal Canadian Superstore locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- SafewaycoreSafeway grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Coop FuelcoreCoop Fuel gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- KentcoreKent grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- PioneercorePioneer gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- UltramarcoreUltramar gas stations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Peavey MartcorePeavey Mart retail locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- RenoDepotcoreRenoDepot home improvement stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Food BasicscoreFood Basics grocery stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- MR Gas LtdcoreMR Gas Ltd locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Waypoint ConveniencecoreWaypoint Convenience stores serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- FAS Gas PluscoreFAS Gas Plus locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
- Gas KingcoreGas King locations serve as propane cylinder exchange locations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Tank Traders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AmeriGas Propane: AmeriGas is the largest US propane retailer by volume, offering both exchange and bulk-delivery services across the country. It competes for national retail exchange partners and propane volumes at scale, making it a broader incumbent competitor versus Tank Traders' exchange-only model.
- Suburban Propane Partners: Suburban Propane is a major US propane distributor serving residential, commercial, and exchange customers. As one of the top three US propane retailers, it competes with Tank Traders at retail exchange partners and across the broader propane marketing landscape.
- Ferrellgas: Ferrellgas is the parent of Blue Rhino and a major US propane marketer. It is a broad incumbent that competes at both corporate retail-partner and consumer levels, and functions as the underlying operator behind the leading US cylinder exchange brand.
Direct peers
- Blue Rhino: Blue Rhino, operated by Ferrellgas, is the dominant US propane tank exchange network with retail-partner cages at convenience, grocery, and home-improvement stores. It is the most directly comparable competitor to Tank Traders' core cylinder exchange offering and serves as the US benchmark for unit economics and retail coverage.
- U-Haul: U-Haul operates propane cylinder exchange at its rental locations across the US and Canada. It is a directly comparable retail-distributed propane exchange operator and a useful comparator for cross-border distribution economics.
- Superior Propane (Superior Plus Corp): Superior Propane is the largest propane distributor in Canada, serving residential, commercial, and bulk-delivery customers. It is the leading domestic incumbent peer for Tank Traders and the most relevant reference for Canadian propane strategy and pricing.
Regional players
- Irving Oil: Irving Oil is a Canadian fuel retailer and refiner that also markets propane to residential and commercial customers. As a major Canadian fuel operator with adjacent propane exposure, it is a regional comparator with overlapping customer segments.
- Parkland Corporation: Parkland is a Canadian fuel retailer and distributor with significant propane operations across multiple provinces. As a Canadian-focused downstream energy company with both retail and wholesale reach, it is a relevant regional comparator in propane marketing and distribution.
- Reliance Home Comfort: Reliance Home Comfort is a Canadian residential services provider offering propane tank exchange, delivery, and home heating services. It competes with Tank Traders at the residential propane level and is a regional peer in tank exchange and refill services across Canada.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tank Traders social profiles
Digital presenceTank Traders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tank Traders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Tank Traders subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Tank Traders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tank Traders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tank Traders
What does Tank Traders do?
Tank Traders operates a national propane tank exchange program that allows customers to swap empty propane cylinders for pre-filled, inspected, and certified replacements at partner retail locations across Canada. The company manages the entire tank lifecycle including inspection, cleaning, refurbishment, filling, delivery, maintenance, and end-of-life recycling, supported by nine distribution and refurbishment centers coast to coast.
Is Tank Traders a public or private company?
Tank Traders is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tank Traders founded?
Tank Traders was founded in 2001. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Tank Traders based?
Tank Traders is headquartered in La Salle, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Tank Traders make money?
One revenue line is on record: propane Cylinder Exchange.
Who are Tank Traders's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AmeriGas Propane, Suburban Propane Partners and Ferrellgas. Direct peers are Blue Rhino, U-Haul and Superior Propane (Superior Plus Corp). Regional players are Irving Oil, Parkland Corporation and Reliance Home Comfort.
Does Tank Traders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tank Traders.