Great Lakes Grain
Great Lakes Grain is a farmer-owned co-operative grain marketing partnership that purchases corn, soybeans, and wheat from Ontario farmer-owners through 27 branded elevator locations spanning Windsor to Ottawa, marketing over 50 million bushels annually to domestic and export processors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersChatham, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Great Lakes Grain does
Great Lakes Grain FS, Inc. is a farmer-owned co-operative grain marketing partnership formed between AGRIS Co-operative Ltd., GROWMARK, Inc. (including Central Ontario FS), and Embrun Co-op. The company purchases grain — primarily corn, soybeans, and wheat — from farmer-owners and resells it to domestic processors and export markets, generating revenue through transactional margins on grain purchases, plus storage and drying fees at its 27 branded elevator locations across Ontario (spanning Windsor to Ottawa and north to Georgian Bay). The physical network represents over 20 million bushels of storage capacity and annual marketing volume exceeding 50 million bushels, serving more than 1,000 farmer owners.
The company's digital product surface centers on real-time pricing and account management: the Cash Bids portal delivers live grain bids by location; My Grain Account provides contract and settlement management; DTN Futures and DTN News supply Chicago Board of Trade pricing and global commodity market information; USDA Reports distribute WASDE supply/demand analysis; and the annual Crop Assessment Tour uses NDVI satellite imagery and in-field scouting across nearly 800 Ontario fields to produce yield estimates that support merchandising decisions. Specialty programs include the Identity Preserved (IP) Soybean Program for food-grade premium markets, SAI Platform membership delivering Farm Sustainability Assessment (Bronze/Silver/Gold) certification, 4R Nutrient Stewardship, and the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI) cost-share funding.
Commercial activity is sales-led, executed through a network of Grain Originators at each branch who build direct relationships with farmer-owners, supplemented by weekly Grain News Monday radio broadcasts on CFCO and Country 92.9 FM, seasonal Weather & Markets webinars, a YouTube channel, and direct outreach. The co-operative structure returns profits to farmer-owners, and the company's geographic reach, processor relationships (Greenfield, Ingredion, SUNCOR, ADM, Bunge, G3, Richardson, Cargill), and bundled agronomy/energy services delivered through partner networks represent the core sources of competitive position.
Great Lakes Grain firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great Lakes Grain
- Legal name
- Great Lakes Grain FS, Inc.
- Website
- https://greatlakesgrain.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Great Lakes Grain is a farmer-owned co-operative grain marketing partnership that purchases corn, soybeans, and wheat from Ontario farmer-owners through 27 branded elevator locations spanning Windsor to Ottawa, marketing over 50 million bushels annually to domestic and export processors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great Lakes Grain industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Grain Marketing & Elevator Operations
- NAICS
- Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510)
- 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), Grain Blending & Segregation (Identity-Preserved/Non-GMO) (AFAOAAAG)
Keywords
Where Great Lakes Grain is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chatham
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices25 records
Markets served
Great Lakes Grain business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Grain Merchandising and Trading: Great Lakes Grain purchases grain from farmer-owners and sells to domestic processors and export markets. Revenue generated through margins on grain transactions, storage fees, and drying services. Co-operative structure returns profits to farmer-owners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based grain pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Great Lakes Grain product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great Lakes Grain is a farmer-owned grain marketing partnership that purchases grain (corn, soybeans, wheat) from farmer-owners and sells to domestic processors and export markets through 27 co-operative branded elevator locations across Ontario, with over 20 million bushels of storage capacity and more than 50 million bushels of annual marketing volume. The company supports these operations with digital tools including the Cash Bids real-time pricing portal, My Grain Account contract management platform, DTN futures data, USDA market reports, and the annual Crop Assessment Tour covering nearly 800 fields.
Product overview
Great Lakes Grain operates as a co-operatively owned grain marketing and elevator operations company, not a unified software platform. The core offering consists of physical grain procurement and marketing services delivered through a network of 27 branded locations spanning from Windsor to Ottawa and north to Georgian Bay, representing over 20 million bushels of storage capacity and 50 million bushels of annual marketing volume. The digital product portfolio centers on Cash Bids and My Grain Account — online portals for real-time pricing and account/contract management — supported by DTN Futures and DTN News for market data, USDA Reports for supply-demand analysis, and the annual Crop Assessment Tour for regional yield intelligence. Specialty programs include the Identity Preserved (IP) Soybean Program for food-grade premium markets, the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) for sustainability certification, 4R Nutrient Stewardship, and the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI) for on-farm environmental improvement funding. Additional services cover agronomy, energy/fuel products, direct deposit payments, elevator contracting terms, processor discounts, and weekly Grain News Monday radio broadcasts. All services are delivered through a partnership of AGRIS Co-operative Ltd., GROWMARK Inc. (including Central Ontario FS), and Embrun Co-op.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cash Bids
Companies that use Great Lakes Grain
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Great Lakes Grain technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Great Lakes Grain partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AGRIS Co-operative Ltd.coreAGRIS Co-operative is a 100% farmer-owned grain marketing and farm-input supply company serving over 1,000 farmer owners in 14 locations across Essex, Kent, Elgin, Middlesex and Lambton Counties. Leader in precision farming technology, seed, agronomy and petroleum services. Partner in Great Lakes Grain grain merchandising company. Member-owner of GROWMARK, Inc.
- GROWMARK, Inc.coreNorth American agricultural co-operative system. Includes Central Ontario FS division (founded September 1, 2024 from FS PARTNERS and UPI Energy FS). Provides leading-edge agronomic, precision ag and energy products and services. Markets products under FS banner. Co-owner of Great Lakes Grain.
- Central Ontario FScoreFounded September 1, 2024 from two GROWMARK retail divisions: FS PARTNERS (agronomy and grain) and UPI Energy FS (energy products). Provides agronomic, precision ag and energy products, services and solutions. Offers grain marketing through Great Lakes Grain partnership. Membership open to local farmer-producers throughout central and southwestern Ontario.
- Embrun Co-opcoreCo-operative located in Eastern Ontario serving clients in both official languages. Operates through nine divisions including grain. Owned by members. Provides grain marketing through Great Lakes Grain partnership. Synergy-focused with team members encouraged to share skills across divisions.
- MID-CO CommoditiesminorProvides USDA supply and demand reports and market analysis featured on Great Lakes Grain website. Thomas Call, Sr. Consultant, Commodity Risk at MID-CO Commodities, presents at Great Lakes Grain webinars on global grain markets and risk management strategies.
- Mobile Weather TeamminorWeather forecasting partner. Mike McClellan, President/Owner of Mobile Weather Team with 40+ years experience, provides agricultural weather forecasting for Great Lakes Grain webinars and events.
- SAI PlatformcoreGreat Lakes Grain became a member of SAI Platform, a globally recognized framework for sustainable agriculture. Supports the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) program helping Ontario growers achieve Bronze, Silver, and Gold sustainability ratings to access premium markets.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Great Lakes Grain competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Great Lakes Grain social profiles
Digital presenceGreat Lakes Grain financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great Lakes Grain leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Great Lakes Grain funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great Lakes Grain 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 Great Lakes Grain
What does Great Lakes Grain do?
Great Lakes Grain is a farmer-owned grain marketing partnership that purchases grain (corn, soybeans, wheat) from farmer-owners and sells to domestic processors and export markets through 27 co-operative branded elevator locations across Ontario, with over 20 million bushels of storage capacity and more than 50 million bushels of annual marketing volume. The company supports these operations with digital tools including the Cash Bids real-time pricing portal, My Grain Account contract management platform, DTN futures data, USDA market reports, and the annual Crop Assessment Tour covering nearly 800 fields.
Is Great Lakes Grain a public or private company?
Great Lakes Grain is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Great Lakes Grain founded?
Great Lakes Grain was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Great Lakes Grain based?
Great Lakes Grain is headquartered in Chatham, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Great Lakes Grain make money?
One revenue line is on record: grain Merchandising and Trading.
Does Great Lakes Grain have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great Lakes Grain.
What industry is Great Lakes Grain in?
Great Lakes Grain's product category is Grain Marketing & Elevator Operations. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAOAAAD, Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities, with a secondary code of AFAOAAAA, Country & Inland Grain Elevators (Receiving/Shipping). Its NAICS code is 424510 and its SIC code is 5150.