Rogers Foods Ltd. - Our History

Rogers Foods Ltd. is British Columbia's only flour and cereal mill. In the early 1950's, Alfred J. Rogers, a farmer in the North Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, acquired a small stone milling device for the purpose of grinding grains for his own family's use. Gradually his neighbors in the Okanagan Valley began coming to him for the same service. Eventually some of the local food stores asked that he grind local grains to produce natural, non-additive flours and cereals. Thus a hectic part-time milling business evolved for Alfred.

Company founders Alfred and Pauline Rogers, who established Rogers Foods in 1951.

By 1971, Alfred Rogers was ready to retire from both farming and milling. He handed the reins over to his youngest son, Stan. Quick to realize the potential of supplying the public with natural whole grain products, Stan began an expansion program to have the sales of Rogers Foods Ltd. products grow from the Okanagan Valley across Western Canada and into Ontario. The company grew under Stan's and a Vice President Operation's direction into the 1980s when he hired three additional key executives to manage the Quality Control, Corporate Development/Export and Accounting/Finance.

Rogers Foods Ltd. is a Canadian company. However, on September 7, 1989, Nisshin Flour Milling Inc., part of the Nisshin Seifun Group of Tokyo, Japan acquired majority ownership of the Company. Stan Rogers and his family left at this time but the four executives he hired continued to effectively and profitably manage Rogers Foods Ltd. together with a (Canadian resident) Japanese President.

Victor Bell, President

On May 10, 1999, the Board of Directors appointed Victor Bell as President. Mr. Bell was previously Senior Vice President Operations and has been with Rogers Foods Ltd. for twenty-eight years.

Since Nisshin Flour Milling Inc., part of the Nisshin Seifun Group acquired Rogers Foods, revenues plus cash reserves have enabled the incremental expenditure of over ten million dollars on capital modernization, expansion or improvements. In addition, the labor force has grown by one-third, now totaling almost 100 employees. In its last fiscal year, Rogers contributed 4.6 million dollars in wages and benefits into the economy of British Columbia.

The Rogers Foods Ltd. of the 2000's is a well-financed company, comprising three components:

a. a thoroughly modern flour mill,

b. a cereal production unit, and

c. a flour bulk handling design, fabrication and installation engineering group.

The popularity of ROGERS natural foods is a reflection of the North American trend to better eating habits. More and more health professionals are stressing the importance of increased use of natural products, more fiber, less chemicals in family diets. The Company prides itself on its many natural, whole grain flour and cereal products produced without the use of food additives.

Rogers Foods Ltd. produces and sells a variety of high quality "branded" and "private label" flour and cereal products for the grocery/retail, bakery/food, export and feed markets. Consumer products are distributed from the Rogers Foods plant throughout Western Canada and into Ontario. Industrial size bagged and bulk flour products are distributed throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

The Company is ideally located in that it can obtain grain from both British Columbia and Alberta farmers, as well as serve its two major market areas of British Columbia and Alberta. While 85% of Rogers Foods Ltd. business is still domestic, the continued growth of export sales to eight Pacific Rim countries ensures stability of our sales of natural, nutritious, high-quality flour, cereal products and value-added products.

For over fifty years, we have proven that we can survive as a niche company, producing a variety of high quality, competitively priced, specialty flour, cereal and value-added products.

Our employees and management are a motivated and eager team ready to accept the challenges of the future growth of customers, products and our mill. We encourage a continuous program of training as we position Rogers Foods Ltd. to meet international quality and sanitation standards to maintain our uniqueness and reputation.

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