Winnipeg | Reuters –– Richardson International, one of Canada’s largest grain handlers, said Monday it had purchased European Oat Millers in a deal that expands its geographic reach.

The acquisition of European Oat Millers, the second-largest oat miller in Europe, closed on June 15, Richardson said in a statement. Both companies are privately owned.

Winnipeg-based Richardson intends to increase manufacturing capacity of European Oat Millers, which is based in Bedford, England, and look for other opportunities to expand globally, CEO Curt Vossen said.

“It was a tremendous fit for us,” said Richardson spokeswoman Tracey Shelton. “We are positioning ourselves as a global player.”

The company could expand further in Europe, in the U.S. or elsewhere, she said. With the purchase, Richardson is one of the world’s five biggest oat millers by capacity, she added.

Shelton declined to disclose terms of the deal or the production capacity Richardson acquired in the purchase.

Richardson, a handler of canola, wheat and other crops, expanded into oat milling in 2013 when it bought Viterra’s Can-Oat Milling arm, operating three oat processing plants in Canada and one in the U.S.

Oats complement Richardson’s bigger canola business, which includes producing vegetable oil, margarine and shortening, Shelton said.

— Rod Nickel is a Reuters correspondent covering the ag and mining sectors from Winnipeg.