USA – Healthy food ingredients company, Calyxt has entered into a soybean crushing agreement with Landus Cooperative to expand its commercial processing activities in the US.

Landus Cooperative, a farmer-owned agricultural organisation will manufacture, purchase and distribute soybean meal.

The partnership expands Calyxt product portfolio including high oleic soybean meal for the dairy nutrition market, with Landus as a processing partner.

Calyxt high oleic soybeans will be processed in Landus Cooperative’s state-of-the-art crush plant in Ralston, Iowa which consumes more than 21 million bushels of soybeans annually.

“We have long been the tie between the farmer and end-user markets,” said Milan Kucerak, chief executive officer with Landus Cooperative.

“With Calyxt’s unique technology, our shared vision is now for specific acres to be planted for a targeted, consumer-destined purpose, in turn, elevating the value of what was once just a commodity.”

Landus, which last year acquired ADM’s grain facility in Manilla, Iowa is the sixth largest grain company in North America aggregating more than 170 million bushels of corn and soybeans annually.

Calyxt is set to benefit from the company’s strong network in North America particularly Iowa, where it has locations in more than 60 communities, approximately 7,000 members and annual revenues of more than US$1.2 billion.

“We’re excited to work with another cooperative of superior calibre, thereby expanding our geographic footprint and improving scalability, which better positions us to operationalize our go-to-market strategy and serve large global consumer packaged goods brands,” said Jim Blome chief executive officer with Calyxt.

“Landus Cooperative’s well-established position as a leader in the dairy nutrition space will only bolster our reputation and further establishes trust in us as a healthy food ingredients company.”

In March last year, Landus unveiled US$13.7 million investment in a new grain facility in Iowa, US including grain bins, receiving pits, a scale and an office building.