REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA — Viterra announced on Jan. 5 that it has entered into a supply and marketing agreement with Pacific Coast Canola LLC (PCC) in which PCC will crush canola for Viterra at PCC's plant located at Warden, Washington, U.S.

PCC is commercial-scale canola processing facility west of the Rocky Mountains. The facility is designed to produce over 300 million pounds of canola oil each year and crush 350,000 tonnes each year.

In addition, an affiliate of Viterra, Glencore Grain Investment LLC, has increased its ownership in PCC to 50% for no cash consideration, and concurrently entered into an amended and restated Limited Liability Operating Agreement with McKinstry Holdings, Inc., which has acquired the remaining 50% ownership in PCC.

"This is a great opportunity for our company, allowing us to expand our processing capacity, build on the success we've achieved at our crush plant in Ste. Agathe, Manitoba and complement our recent acquisition of TRT-ETGO in Becancour, Quebec," said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's president and chief executive officer (CEO) for North America. "We look forward to helping PCC achieve its full potential, through delivery of consistent seed supply, expansion of our existing relationships with thousands of canola producers to include local PCC market producers, our focus on continuous improvement, and connections with domestic and international end users."

PCC's facility, opened in 2013 and is the largest expeller-press canola processing facility in North America, Viterra said, with the capacity to crush 1,100 tonnes per day. It produces a variety of healthy canola oils, including non-GMO, Halal and Kosher certified, to meet demand from leading food manufacturers and distributors, and also produces meal products that are sold into the dairy cattle and other livestock markets.