Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced it is building a soybean processing plant in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, with integrated crushing, vegetable oil refining and lecithin production and packaging capabilities.  

“This strategic development will further strengthen LDC’s core merchandizing capabilities with additional capacity to originate and process U.S. soy into value-added products – in this case edible oils and lecithin, reinforcing our position as a partner to our customers as we grow our Food & Feed Solutions business established in January,” said Michael Gelchie, LDC’s Chief Executive Officer.

The new plant also provides an option to participate in renewable energy feedstock markets and help meet growing demand for biofuels. 

“Reflecting our long-term commitment to North America as a key market for LDC, both in terms of origination and distribution, this new facility will leverage LDC’s existing regional logistics network and synergies with our other integrated oilseed processing facilities in the region: our recently-expanded crushing, biodiesel refining, and glycerin and lecithin production complex in Claypool (Ind.), U.S., and our canola processing plant in Yorkton (Saskatchewan), Canada, which we are also expanding,” said Gordon Russell, LDC’s U.S. Head of Grains & Oilseeds. 

With construction expected to begin in early 2024, the new facility will employ over 100 people and have annual soy crushing capacity of 1,500,000 metric tons (MT), annual edible (RBD) soybean oil production capacity of 320,000 MT and annual lecithin production capacity of 7,500 MT.