Celebrating 50 Years of Snobelen Farms
We’re proud to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2021!
Much has changed since 1971, but Snobelen Farms has remained committed to meeting consumer demand and serving grain and seed customers with the best-in-class, quality product.
A family-owned and operated business for over 50 years, Snobelen Farms has grown to include all aspects of production, processing and trading of grains, food grade soybeans and seed for markets in Canada and around the world.
Five Decades of Change
Mike and Judy Snobelen established Snobelen Farms Ltd. in 1971 with the goal of building a sustainable agricultural business. We’ve grown from two grain bins and two employees to operating eight elevator locations and employing approximately 60 full-time employees.
Snobelen Farms started operating the Ripley elevator in 1971 to meet the needs of local farmers in southern Bruce County. Every year after, more bins were added to handle increased grain volumes. The business grew to include the grain elevator, farming and trucking divisions.
The business quickly grew, expanding through acquiring the elevator of Anderson Flax Products Ltd. in nearby Lucknow in 1976. Over the years, the Lucknow site increased in size and is now the head office, grain elevator and seed cleaning site. Then in 1987, Snobelen Farms expanded to Dungannon, purchasing the elevator originally built by the Hodges family of Dungannon in the late 1970s.
In 1997, Snobelen Farms began marketing around the world, shipping non-GMO, food grade soybeans in response to European consumer demand. In the early 2000s, export premium and volume rose every year. Thanks to the support and eagerness of local area growers, the Snobelen Farms non-GMO bean export program often saw all contracts filled by February.
As the agriculture industry and economy adapted and innovated over the years, so did the business. Co-founder Mike Snobelen’s restless entrepreneurial energy, combined with his son Troy’s strong leadership, Snobelen Farms continued to be a leader in grain, seed and the marketing of non-GMO, food grade soybeans.
In 2010, one third of Snobelen Farms’ soybean business was exporting food grade soybeans to Japan, and the European market was the second largest. Majority of export shipments were by vessel from Goderich.
Three more elevators were purchased in Tiverton, Blyth and Brantford in the 2010s. In 2018, Snobelen Farms purchased Bramhill Seeds and has since constructed a world-class seed processing, treatment and packaging facility in Palmerston.
Today we still work with many of our first export customers and continue to grow and export around the world. For 25 years, Snobelen Farms has met demand by sourcing high quality genetics for use in many different food products. We are currently shipping to over a dozen countries. It is our goal to remain a partner of choice in commodity and food grade exports to help support your business.
Snobelen Farms remains an independent, family-owned business specializing in the production, processing and sales of food grade soybeans, commercial grains and pedigreed seed for markets across Canada and internationally.
Since 1971, we’ve stayed focused on local farmers and serving customers through Quality Without Compromise. Through exceptional customer service and embracing innovative approaches in agriculture, we have become a valuable leader in the grain, seed and export industries.
Read more about our history and learn more about our facilities.
Our Employees Make It Possible
There’s one thing we know for sure. We couldn’t have reached this major milestone without our employees. We thank them for bringing their best to work every single day. We’d like to congratulate and acknowledge the huge role our employees play in achieving this milestone.
Celebrations to Come
In celebration of our 50th year in business, we’re continuing our tradition of giving back to our local communities. Stay tuned for more information.
Growing Forward
Sam Snobelen and Tanya Leppington continue the family legacy alongside a strong leadership team, upholding our commitment to local farmers, employees and the communities we serve.
Just as we’ve done for the past 50 years, the Snobelen Farms team will continue to grow forward, together with customers, employees, partners and our communities.
Mission, Vision and Values
Our 50th anniversary provided an opportunity to build upon Snobelen Farms’ extraordinary legacy by creating a new mission, vision and values for our team to live by — an investment in the development of our business and employees. Our new mission, vision, and values provide the direction, focus and energy we need to grow forward. To read more about out mission, vision and values click here.
