Agribusiness, Food & Beverage
Overview
Manitoba is an international leader in agribusiness innovation and home to some of the most established agriculture and food-processing businesses in Canada. Our firm has a long history of advising clients in this ever-evolving, dynamic sector.
Recognized by Chambers & Partners as one of the leading firms in agribusiness in Canada, we draw on the strength of our multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive legal solutions to local, national and international industry players.
Our team provides the breadth and depth of legal services businesses need to thrive in a sector with increasingly complex regulatory requirements. We advise clients at every point in the value chain from family-owned farms to multinational food manufacturers. Clients rely on our team for cost-effective, actionable solutions on a range of matters, including:
- Commercial transactions
- Contracts including R&D agreements
- Environmental law
- Food safety and regulatory matters
- Grain handling and distribution
- Intellectual Property including trademarks
- Marketing Boards, Associations & Commissions
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Regulatory
- Technology and innovation, including technology licensing and branding
- Taxation
We have advised our clients on some of the most significant projects and transactions in Manitoba as well as cross-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions. Some of our notable mandates include:
- Acted as counsel on the merger of Cereals Canada Inc. and the Canadian International Grain Institute, two leading associations in the grain industry.
- Acted as litigation counsel for a North American grain company in an action against a port owner in a dispute over the handling and storage of grain.
- Acted as litigation counsel for Richardson International on a wide variety of matters.
- Acted as counsel for Botanist Organic Growers Inc. in connection with the acquisition of the Pineland Forest Nursery assets from the Government of Manitoba and the entering into a long-term lease with the Province of Manitoba for lands located in a provincial forest.
- Acted as counsel for MacDon Group of Companies in connection with its sale to Linamar Corporation for a total purchase price of $1.2 billion.
- Acted as counsel for Fresh Hemp Foods Ltd., and its shareholders, in connection with its sale to Compass Diversified Holdings for a total purchase price of $132.5 million.
- Acted as counsel for Richardson International Limited on a transformational acquisition of grain elevators and crop input facilities from Viterra following the acquisition of control of Viterra by Glencore International, plc.
- Acted as counsel in the negotiation of complex syndicated credit facilities for Richardson International with a syndicate of ten lenders, led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, in connection with the opening of the market for wheat and barley sales in Canada following the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s legislated monopoly.