Verdient Foods

[hobbyfrmr]

Interesting to see James Cameron filmmaker spend money in Saskatchewan on pea protein processing facility. This looks like a positive benefit for Saskatchewan and western Canadian farmers and nobody on AV bothered to comment about it.
Is this going to succeed or is it all just fluff and posturing?

[bucket]

I must be getting skeptical in my old age....but where is that pasta plant?


And what does "provincial inducements"....mean?

[farmaholic]

Oh contraire hobby. I made a call to them yesterday looking to peddle my green peas. I thought they may be interested in them because they were desiccated with diquat instead of glyphosate and they want to start up with conventional peas until they get a steady organic supply. I think they said they want yellows.

What caught my attention in the interview was I thought I heard him say they want to have the ability to supply their own feed stock. And aren't they in business with an Indian band?

[furrowtickler]

It will be interesting to watch this move foreword .
Could be a real positive for the pulse industry as long as it's open for all producers who grow the peas they are looking for , organic or not for now as you say farma.
It will be interesting to see where all that product comes from if they can process the numbers they claim strictly organic in the future.
I know there was a lot of leg work went into this project from what I hear .
Hopefully it becomes a profitable business for both investors and producers.

[Quadtrack]

Another good development for the pulse industry certainly. There is a lot of future in North America for increased pulse inclusion in many foods for protein, fibre and recognized health impacts like diabetes.
We still need to get the India access issue sorted as bulk peas will still move there in large vessel loads. But processing some more here is a step in the right direction. This plant and the Portage one -half a million tonnes - significant indeed.
The organic thing-good for those that can supply them. When the Cameron's started with an anti-meat/anti livestock message, that I don't agree with and taints the Verdiant brand. Will they have screenings and if so where might they sell them if livestock are bad bad...That part of the announcement was poorly informed

[hobbyfrmr]

Another good development for the pulse industry certainly. There is a lot of future in North America for increased pulse inclusion in many foods for protein, fibre and recognized health impacts like diabetes.
We still need to get the India access issue sorted as bulk peas will still move there in large vessel loads. But processing some more here is a step in the right direction. This plant and the Portage one -half a million tonnes - significant indeed.
The organic thing-good for those that can supply them. When the Cameron's started with an anti-meat/anti livestock message, that I don't agree with and taints the Verdiant brand. Will they have screenings and if so where might they sell them if livestock are bad bad...That part of the announcement was poorly informed

Agreed. Cameron really did not have to offer his opinion on beef. First he had western Canada ag happy about him then insults the livestock industry in the press release. Not the best way to start.

[bucket]

Maybe the guys buying the byproducts will say no thanks.....

Whether he likes cattle or not....chances are they may need their support.....

[WiltonRanch]

I liked when Wall mentioned the cattle industry at the press conference like "hey James thanks for investing in sask ag but don't shit on cattlemen".

[wmoebis]

At least it isn't just photo op like pasta plant.

[westernvicki]

I am very proud of our daughter Heidi Dutton who was the person who brought the project and the Camerons' to Saskatchewan. Heidi was very determined to do value add on pulses, and recognized the opportunity in fractionation. To find investors she pitched the idea of building the fractionation plant to a number of investors, an idea the Camerons embraced. After a year of looking for the right location, with the help of the local RM council and the town of Vanscoy a farmers field by Vanscoy were the ideal spot, close to the rail with access to services but still a total greenfield. She then arranged for rail, power, water, gas, graded the site, did technical research necessary for the project, & negotiated countless contracts! Without Heidi the project would have never been built. We are all very proud to see the Cameron's invest in Saskatchewan and appreciate all the work Heidi did to achieve this vision.

[westernvicki]

And to all the locals who supported Heidi at the RM & Council and individual level, Thank you!

[LEP]

Yes Vicki you should be proud. It is way more work x10 than anyone realizes.

Good for her.I hope it is successful and more value added businesses follow.

[sumdumguy]

It is awesome as the next generation takes the torch and breaths life into a value-added industry. Good Luck to all and congratulations. 👍 To all the hard work and planning.

[farmaholic]

Vicki, can you verify a couple of things?
Is a First Nations involved? Which I think would be a good thing.
What did Cameron mean when he said something like having 15,000 "units"(?) to help supply their own feedstock, exactly what did he mean by that? I wish I could quote with confidence but can't. ...maybe I can find the CTV report online and watch it again.

My only concern would be finding enough organic feedstock for their needs when they're in full scale operation.

[farmaholic]

Ok, found it. Cameron states they would like to have their own "holdings"....about 15,000 acres.

Vertical integration?

Also states they estimate only about 5000 acres of organic peas are being grown now.

Find it here: Verdient Foods-Diving into the details CTV Local News Stories

http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/hollywood-director-james-cameron-invests-in-saskatchewan-pea-processing-plant-1.3594707

SLOW LOADING!!!!