An international agricultural corporation will take over a Minyip grain centre.
Export Trading Group Australia has announced the acquisition of grain receiving and cleaning site Wimpak.
The company bought the company for an undisclosed amount and will officially take over from September 1.
Wimpak shareholders placed the business on the market last year for $8 million.
Export Trading Group Australia country manager Shayne Clark said the global company traded numerous agricultural commodities across the world.
"Pulses is one of our core businesses globally," he said.
"The business started trading in Australia in 2014 and it has expanded its business from there.
"We trade a lot of northern pulses such as desi chickpeas, as well as lentils."
Mr Clark said Export Trading Group had a long association with Wimpak.
"We knew Wimpak very well and the business has dedicated employees," he said.
Mr Clark said there would be no job losses at Wimpak.
"Wimpak will continue to operate as it is now, farmers won't see any differences," he said.
"All the staff will stay employed and we hope to put on more staff because we want to build the business."
Mr Clark said farmers would benefit from the sale, as Export Trading Group had access to international markets.
"We can give them better market intelligence about what is happening overseas," he said.
Wimpak was started in Minyip in 1998 by a small group of Wimmera farmers and investors, looking to add value to locally produced commodities.
Their vision was to build a grain packing and cleaning centre within the region, specialising in pulses.
Wimpak general manager James French said it had been a long process for the current shareholders to get to this point.
"It has been wonderful to get this sale across the line, especially with someone of the calibre of Export Trading Group," he said.
"It was the kind of outcome the shareholders were looking for."
Mr French said it would be business as usual for the company moving forward.
"All staff will be continuing their employment at Minyip and from a grower perspective, everything should be the same," he said.
"That was one our aims in the sale, we wanted to make sure that everything stayed the same."
Mr French said Wimpak was vital to the Minyip community.
"It is the second biggest employer in town and it brings a large amount of trucks in from the outside area," he said.
"Those truck drivers use our supermarket and cafe, so it is a vital part of the community."
This story originally appeared on The Wimmera Mail Times
