Letter: Global markets are expanding, and they matter for organic and non-GMO soybeans

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As incomes grow, consumers have more choices about what they eat. Consumers are making decisions based on what’s in their food, where it came from and how it was grown.

It’s happening in Asia. Strict global food quality standards play a role, but consumers drive the demand. On a recent trip to Kyushu, Japan, I talked with a consumer who sharply questioned me about pesticide use. It’s a level of scrutiny that is common in Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. Those buyers aren’t just shopping for protein. They’re sourcing ingredients that they trust. From sustainability to traceability, identity-preserved soybean production gives buyers and food processors something they can stand behind.

At SB&B, we’ve watched food-grade soybean demand grow alongside Asia’s middle class. Roughly 85 to 90% of our business involves supplying non-GMO soybeans. Another 10 to 15% is organic. Our 100-year-old operation in Casselton, North Dakota, represents quality growers, full transparency, high standards and a proven track record, all of which provide real value. In Kyushu, Japanese consumers and co-op leaders are highly aware of issues affecting food and agriculture. They follow geopolitics, global conflicts, fuel prices and climate change. As uncertainty flourishes around the world, SB&B offers consistency.

Food-grade markets offer soybean growers more certainty, too. Every market we build gives us room to navigate the ones we can’t control, and the high value of organic and non-GMO segments delivers a reliable return on investment. International food-grade markets, particularly in Asia, offer premiums that commodity volumes can’t match. Those premiums come from being held to higher standards.

International ingredient sourcing is not transactional. Buyers in Asia look for suppliers they can trust completely. Our Q&As with co-op stakeholders can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. Understanding the quality requirements, processing specs and their expectations comes from the careful, and often slow, work of relationship building. At SB&B, we’ve learned to show up in markets before we need to, and to keep showing up after business is won.

Consistent quality and full traceability benefit buyers wherever they are. As the food system continues to evolve toward transparency, quality and relationships, domestic demand for non-GMO and organic soybeans grows, too. The future of agriculture depends on the strategic expansion to support it.

Our team invests in grower relationships and quality systems, along with processing and handling infrastructure — so we can be well-positioned for buyers here and around the globe. Our customers want to know the varieties, the growers and the handling practices, and a sales pitch alone won’t provide the answers they’re looking for. It takes a supply chain that’s carefully built over years.

In organic and non-GMO soybeans, there aren’t many shortcuts worth taking. These markets know what they want. We’ve been growing it for generations, and the world is ready for more.

(Scott Sinner is an owner of SB&B Foods (Sinner Bros. and Bresnahan), a fifth-generation family business based in Casselton, North Dakota, specializing in identity-preserved non-GMO and organic food-grade soybeans.)]]>