USA — The Hansen-Mueller Co. has acquired General Mills Elevator A in Duluth, Minnesota, US., which has been inactive since 2015, a deal that will bring the grain-handling facility back into active service.
Elevator A becomes the second Hansen-Mueller-owned grain complex in the Twin Ports, joining the Daisy Elevator and Elevator M complex in Superior, Wisconsin, US.
Consolidated Elevator Co. built the structure with ceramic tile, brick and concrete in 1908, replacing the original wooden elevator constructed on the site in 1894.
General Mills purchased the elevator from Consolidated in 1943, modernizing it in the 1970s and operating it until 2015.
The elevator has a storage capacity 3.5 million bushels and features a 1,900-foot dock with a slip depth of 28 feet and on-dock rail service from BNSF railway.
Hansen-Mueller said it plans to bring the facility back into operation in time for the 2022 harvest season. The company said it plans to import and export primarily small grains grown in the United States and Canada to domestic and foreign destinations.
“The facility fits our portfolio very well and will complement our import and export program, as well as our interior grain assets and processing plants,” said Paul Johnson, vice president and chief operating officer of Hansen-Mueller.
The reactivation of Duluth’s Elevator A is expected to add at least eight new jobs on the working waterfront, in addition to generating added revenues and increasing grain tonnage through the Port of Duluth-Superior.
“Elevator A is a valuable asset in our port, with its grain-handling capacity, excellent road and rail connections, plus a long, solid, Seaway-depth dock for ships, and we’re excited for its potential,” said Kate Ferguson, director of trade and business development at the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
“We are excited to grow our business in the Port of Duluth-Superior and bring new business onto the St. Lawrence Seaway,” Mr. Johnson added.
A family-owned business founded in 1979, Hansen-Mueller provides grain merchandising and logistics, commodity trading and feed processing products to customers across the Midwest and throughout the world.
The company owns or operates approximately 14 facilities nationwide, including three port locations and three mills, in addition to its grain storage facilities.
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