Hamill Agricultural Processing Solutions, based in Canada, focuses on developing solutions to meet the needs of the rapidly growing microgreens and hydroponic/aquaponic industries. The company is part of the Hamill Group of Companies and is involved in the design and the manufacturing of custom processing equipment, as well as facility designs to better improve production and help your business’s bottom line.
After running a machine shop for 35 years, Hamill CEO Bob Benner decided to build a microgreens harvesting machine based on the design of hedge trimmers at the request of a local greenhouse. “The machine turned out to be a hit with growers. Hamill further developed the machine and started the manufacturing of custom-made blades,” Benner says. “We never had to advertise, we put our products on YouTube, and it took off from there. Our business started to grow very quickly, and we kept developing new products to meet the needs of growers and to adapt to various greenhouse technologies.”
Hamill’s product line covers the entire microgreens growing process from harvesting to where growers stack their trays. The portfolio includes various types of harvesters, take away conveyors and tote stands, modular belt spooling systems, tray washers as well as custom elevators and conveyors. “As opposed to large multinational companies, we supply custom-made solutions in every price range,” Bob Benner notes.
A business model to replicate Hamill has production facilities on three continents and has clients all around the world; their products are sold in Singapore, Dubai, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, among other countries.
The company’s philosophy is to build everything locally. They manufacture their products in Canada and the US to serve the North American market. To serve the European market, they teamed up with Food Autonomy as the Hungarian company has the manufacturing capabilities as well as the sales and marketing force to cover these new markets for Hamill. “The first trial worked out extremely well; the quality was outstanding; they were able to source all the necessary parts and their cost profile was highly attractive.” Bob Benner said. “Now we are ready to really move forward with our cooperation. We are able to collaborate in a number of areas, such as marketing and sales, not only production. This is a great fit for both of us,” the executive added.
Having a European manufacturing location is a major advantage as Hamill can serve its customers on the old continent a lot faster. In addition, Food Autonomy experts can offer assistance to Hamill’s assembly operations in Abu Dhabi. “The business model we developed with Food Autonomy ensures that everything is sourced and built locally, which is a crucial aspect from an environment protection aspect,” according to Bob Benner.
Using the same setup in place with Food Autonomy, the company seeks to increase its foothold in the Asian and South American markets by setting up local production there as well.
