Three rivers, the Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri, wind through the farm land of the Midwest and empty into the Mississippi River which continues south through the heart of America to the Gulf of Mexico. This river system provides transportation for hundreds of millions of tons of grains such as corn, soybeans, wheat and their derivatives to the Port of New Orleans where they are exported around the world.
It was to take advantage of both the fertile farm land and access to the river transportation system that Toyota Tsusho America Inc bought Sours Grain Company in 1989, changing the name to Tomen Grain Company in January 2002. Tomen Grain Company receives corn, soybean and wheat from area farmers and country elevators and corn gluten meal, gluten feed, etc. from starch industries and loads them onto barges which are destined for export from gulf ports. Tomen Grain Company handles nearly 20 million bushels of grain and by-products each year. Since joining Tomen America, its functions have been greatly expanded. The company is now involved with a variety of corn and soybeans, providing quality checks and storing for export to Japanese markets.
