Hansen-Mueller looks to expand footprint with new feed bagging facility

The Omaha, Nebraska-headquartered company announced the expansion of its processing capacity with the purchase of a new facility in Fremont, Nebraska, last week.

The grain company started in feed commodity trading and has since expanded into feed grain processing. It also operates a feed grain processing plant in Toledo, Ohio and three country elevators in Kansas.

The 60,000 square foot facility is expected to involve a multi-million dollar investment and employ five to 10 people, the company reported.

It is anticipated that the site will take several months to bring online, said Ed Cochran, director with Hansen-Mueller.

“We think in early to mid-summer we’ll be in production at that facility,”​ he told us. “We’re looking at a June-July time-frame.”​

Expansion opportunities​

The site chosen for the new feed bagging facility had several points in its favor, including that it was relatively near the company’s headquarters in Omaha, said Cochran.

“It is a great building, in great shape and it has the ability to be expanded,” ​he said. “Those were several of the reasons.”​

The new facility is part of an effort to expand the company’s processing business, he said. When in operation, it will bag several kinds of feed targeting cattle, poultry and horses along with pet food.

The bagged feed generated will support the company’s efforts to expand its geographic footprint, he said. 

Additionally, the new processing facility will have the ability to produce organic feed, said Cochran.

The location will produce conventional and organic feed from several different brands along with both private labels and Hansen-Mueller’s own products.

Hansen-Mueller currently does some organic production, said Cochran. “From the standpoint of where we’re headed, it’s really an enhancement of organic,”​ he added.

The decision to expand its organic offerings was generated by customer interest, he said. 

“We’ve got some experience in it,” ​said Cochran. “And our customers have said to us, there are opportunities there if we move down that path.”​

“Like most businesses, we want to take our customers there, to take them ahead of the game,”​ he said.

Additional assets ​

In addition to the upcoming facility in Fremont, Hansen-Mueller made an agreement to purchase several assets from Interstate Commodity at the end of last year.

That deal brought Hansen-Mueller some organic operations along with eight properties in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota and about 60 employees.

“We believe this is a great fit for us and paves the way for our expansion into feed processing and organic processing and provides additional facilities in areas that expand our trading footprint,”​ said Jack Hansen, founder and president of Hansen-Mueller, at that time.