Owensboro Grain Company started in 1906 when the founder, Henry E. O’Bryan toured the country on bicycle, purchasing corn for local distilleries. He began shipping corn on wooden barges, developing the company as a small grain merchant.
O’Bryan’s son, William, recognizing early on that soybeans would play a significant role in the economy, directed the company into soybean processing in the latter part of the 1940’s. During the third generation of family ownership, the company doubled its soybean processing capacity, began processing lecithin and began producing refined oils for human consumption.
The fourth generation of the O’Bryan family opened a biodiesel production facility, which has added 45MM gallons of fuel per year to the nation’s energy supply. This same generation constructed a refined glycerin production facility, which produces USP glycerin, and began producing all-natural, 100% soy waxes for multiple wax applications. In January 2023, Owensboro Grain Company was officially acquired by Cargill, making the transfer of ownership of Owensboro Grain Company to another multi-generational family-held enterprise with a strong values-based culture. Under Cargill’s ownership, Owensboro Grain Company will continue to build upon its legacy of serving its employees, customers and community while gaining access to Cargill’s global network and industry experience.