Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, commonly known as ADM, is an American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation founded in 1902 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company operates more than 270 plants and 420 crop procurement facilities worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial, and animal feed markets worldwide.

ADM ranked No. 54 in the 2020 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.

John W. Daniels began crushing flaxseed to make linseed oil in Ohio in 1878, and in 1902 he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to organize the Daniels Linseed Company. The company consisted of a flax-crushing plant that made three products: raw linseed oil, boiled linseed oil, and linseed cake or meal. In 1903 George A. Archer joined the firm, and in a few years, it became the Archer-Daniels Linseed Company. Archer also brought experience to the firm, as his family had been in the business of crushing flaxseed since the 1830s. Archer and Daniels the n hired a young bookkeeper by the name of Samuel Mairs, who eventually became the company's chairperson.

ADM expanded its agribusiness to include milling, processing, specialty food ingredients, and cocoa. In 1924 ADM was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. ADM purchased control of the flour milling company Commander-Larabee Corp. in 1930.

When President Thomas L. Daniels (son of the founder) and Chairperson Samuel Mairs celebrated Archer Daniels Midland's 50th anniversary in 1952, the company was manufacturing over 700 standard products and had extended its operations overseas. More foreign expansion followed in Peru, Mexico, The Netherlands, and Belgium.

In 1970, Dwayne Andreas became the chief executive officer of ADM and is credited with transforming the firm into an industrial powerhouse. Andreas remained CEO until 1997 when his nephew G. Allen Andreas was named to the position.

In 2001, the company began recasting its image, abandoning its slogan, "Supermarket to the World," which was introduced during the 1970s, and replacing its logo, a symbol of a chemical molecule, first used in 1962. The company adopted the new tagline, "The Nature of What's to Come," and a logo of a green leaf inside a blue diamond, part of a new promotional campaign designed to shift attention from the company's bulk commodity business to a range of nutritional products, such as vegetarian burgers and soy milk, and alternative fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel.

In 2018 ADM agreed to purchase the British probiotic supplement company Probiotics International Limited for $243 million. In 2019, ADM agreed to purchase the remaining 50 percent stake in British grain and oilseed producer Gleadell from the French company InVivo and completed the acquisition of animal nutrition company Neovia for $1.54 billion euros (US$1.73 billion).

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is one of the world's leading processors and distributors of agricultural products for food and animal feed, with additional operations in the transportation and storage of such products. Its principal operations process soybeans, corn, and wheat, the three largest crops in the United States. ADM also processes cocoa beans, milo, oats, barley, and peanuts. The company's feed products are sold to farmers, feed dealers, and livestock producers, while its food products are sold to food and beverage manufacturers. 

Among ADM's better-known products are NutriSoy, a soy protein; Novasoy isoflavones, an ingredient used in dietary supplements; xanthan gum, a thickening agent used in food products such as salad dressings; citric acid and lactic acid, both used as food additives in food and beverage products to increase their acidity; natural vitamin E; and ethanol, an additive made from corn that is added to gasoline to improve the fuels efficiency of vehicles. AMD operates more than 270 processing plants throughout the world.

According to Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), the company mission is: "to unlock the power of nature and transform crops into ingredients and solutions for foods, beverages and supplements for people all around the world, and provide a complete range of solutions and services for livestock, aquaculture and pets".

As stated on company website, ADM's vision is: “to unlock the power of nature and to enrich the quality of life".