Cargill is a family-owned company founded in 1865 and headquartered in Wayzata, MN. As the largest privately held company in North America, Cargill began its business with grain and has expanded to include a wide range of food ingredients, agriculture, energy trading, livestock, financial services and more. With more than 150 years of experience, Cargill has earned a reputation for providing high-quality, sustainable products to a variety of industries.
Gillco's Partnership with Cargill
The relationship between Gillco and Cargill began in 1999. Gillco offers a wide range of specialty items to food and beverage manufacturers nationwide, showcasing our commitment to quality and innovation.
Gillco is one of six of Cargill's distribution partners. In 2018, Cargill narrowed its distributor list from over 200 to just six. As one of Cargill's chosen distributors, we have become a key player in delivering their high-quality ingredients to manufacturers and producers across North America.
Cargill's Ingredient Offerings & Commitment to Sustainability
Cargill offers a diverse portfolio of high-quality ingredients suitable for various applications. Here are some of their key products:
Cocoa Powder, Chocolate & Coatings
Cargill's cocoa powder, including their renowned Gerkens® brand, is trusted worldwide for its consistent color and delicious taste. Gerkens® has been part of the Cargill family since 1986 and continues to innovate with new cocoa powders while supporting sustainable cocoa farming practices. Cargill's chocolate and coatings are ideal for confectionery, bakery, and dairy applications, providing quality and exceptional taste.
Cargill is committed to ensuring a thriving and sustainable cocoa sector for generations to come. The Cargill Cocoa Promise is their program aimed at enabling farmers and their communities to achieve better incomes and living standards while growing cocoa sustainably. By leveraging their global reach and experience, Cargill works with a vast network of partner organizations and stakeholders, including 200 local farmer organizations, NGOs, governments, and industry partners, to address social, economic, and environmental challenges in cocoa-growing communities.
Cargill's Specialty Salts portfolio delivers high-purity, food-grade salt solutions designed to improve flavor delivery, processing performance, and product differentiation across a wide range of food applications.
Our Specialty Salt Portfolio
Alberger® Flake Salts
High-purity, food-grade flake salts engineered for performance
Alberger® Brand Salt is one of the only high-purity, food-grade flake salts available. Produced using a proprietary open-pan evaporation process, Alberger® salt features a unique crystal shape that delivers measurable advantages in blendability, adhesion, solubility, and bulk density.
Available grades
- • Flour
- • Fine Flake
- • Flake
- • Coarse
Pink Himalayan Salts
Premium visual differentiation with reliable food-grade performance
Pink Himalayan Salt is a naturally pink rock salt sourced from the Punjab region of Pakistan. Its distinctive color and premium perception make it ideal for brands seeking visual differentiation and elevated product positioning.
Key attributes
- • 97% purity
- • Naturally occurring trace minerals (iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium)
- • Distinct pink hue from natural mineral content
- • Available for topical and solution applications
Available forms
- • X-Coarse
- • Untreated
- • Flour
Sea Salts
Naturally produced with sun, wind, and time
Gillco offers a broad portfolio of food-grade sea salts produced through natural solar evaporation. These salts support clean label positioning while delivering consistent performance across applications.
Available sea salt options
- • Purified
- • Purified Fine
- • Purified Powder
- • Topping
- • Extra Coarse Topping
Functional Sweeteners
Cargill's functional sweeteners, including stevia, erythritol and isomalt, are sugar reduction ingredient solutions that do not compromise taste. These functional sweetener solutions are ideal for beverages, confectionery, dairy, dairy alternatives, and snacks.
For over 20 years, Cargill has set higher standards for sustainable stevia production. Their Stevia Sustainability Agricultural Standard, along with the global FSA 3.0 Silver benchmark and third-party Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), demonstrates Cargill's commitment to sustainability in stevia production.
Lecithin
Cargill offers high-quality lecithin, which acts as an emulsifier, dispersant, and stabilizer in various food products. Lecithin is widely used in bakery, confectionery, dairy, and beverages to improve texture and shelf-life.
Lecithin is prepared by extracting and purifying phospholipids from naturally occurring products such as soybeans, eggs, sunflower, and canola seeds. This means it’s a plant-derived, label-friendly emulsifier. It helps to create and stabilize emulsions, both oil in water and water in oil, while improving texture, mouthfeel, and viscosity in a range of applications.
Tapioca Syrup
Cargill's tapioca syrup is a label-friendly alternative to corn syrup, offering clean taste and functionality. Tapioca syrup is used in confectionery, bakery, and beverages to provide sweetness and improve texture.
Cargill's non-GMO tapioca syrup offers a label-friendly, sustainable alternative to corn syrup. Sourced from cassava, a traditional root vegetable, Cargill's tapioca syrup is available in various carbohydrate profiles and Dextrose Equivalent (DE) levels, including Certified Organic lines.
More About Non-GMO Tapioca Syrup
Oils and Shortenings
Cargill offers a broad range of edible oils and shortenings, providing optimal functionality and health benefits. These products are essential for frying, baking, and food processing applications, ensuring consistent performance and quality.
Starches
Cargill's starches, derived from corn, potato, and wheat, are versatile ingredients used in various applications. Their starches provide viscosity, binding, and film-forming properties, making them suitable for bakery, dairy, sauces, and more.
These starches undergo specific modifications to enhance their properties for various applications. These starches are used in food, adhesives, paper making, and more.
Masa Flour
Cargill’s masa flours deliver consistent performance and authentic texture across a wide range of applications, including tortilla chips, taco shells, and extruded snacks. Produced through advanced dry corn processing, these flours offer greater control over granulation, functionality, and final product quality.
Product Overview
Cargill offers a full range of masa flours in multiple formats to meet specific processing and product requirements:
Yellow Masa
- • White Masa
- • Blended Masa
Each option is available in varying granulations (fine to coarse) to support different production methods such as extrusion or sheeted products.
Common product types include:
- • Fine masa for extrusion/snack applications
- • Medium to coarse masa for sheeted products like tortilla chips
- • Specialized blends for optimized texture and consistency
Key Functional Benefits
Cargill masa flours are designed to enhance both processing efficiency and finished product quality:
Improved sensory performance
- • Cleaner flavor
- • Brighter color
- • Crispier texture
Processing flexibility
- • Adjustable granulation and cook levels
- • Better control over water absorption, dough cohesion, and texture
Consistent end-product quality
- • Optimized particle size distribution
- • Predictable texture, bite, and oil absorption
Sustainability advantages
- • Zero wastewater discharge in production
- • Environmentally responsible processing
Application Versatility
Masa flour serves as a foundational ingredient across multiple food categories:
- • Tortilla chips and taco shells
- • Extruded snacks
- • Baked goods and flatbreads
- • Foodservice and prepared foods
It functions as both a structure builder and texture enhancer, contributing to mouthfeel, flavor delivery, and overall product integrity.
CITRIC ACID
Cargill's Citric Acid is an odorless food additive with a tart, acidic taste. Citric Acid primarily functions to provide tartness, modify sweetness, and enhance flavors. Additional functional benefits derived from citric acid are pH adjustment, buffer capacity, and sequestration of ions. By lowering pH, citric acid acts as a mild preservative.
Offerings:
• Anhydrous (liquid)
• Fine
• Granular
Application Areas:
• Beverages
• Dairy (Processed Cheese)
• Jams, Jellies, Preserves
• Fish, Meat
• Snacks
Gillco and Cargill FAQs
Is Gillco an authorized Cargill distributor?
Yes. Gillco has been an authorized Cargill distribution partner since 1999. In 2018, Cargill consolidated its distributor network from over 200 partners down to just six, and Gillco was selected as one of them. That distinction reflects the trust Cargill places in our ability to deliver their ingredients with the quality, consistency, and technical support their customers expect.
What Cargill ingredients does Gillco distribute?
Gillco distributes a broad portfolio of Cargill specialty ingredients for food and beverage manufacturers, including:
- • Cocoa powder and chocolate (including the Gerkens® brand)
- • Specialty salts (Alberger® Flake Salts, Pink Himalayan Salt, Sea Salts)
- • Functional sweeteners (stevia, erythritol, isomalt)
- • Lecithin (soy, sunflower, canola)
- • Tapioca syrup (including non-GMO and Certified Organic options)
- • Oils and shortenings
- • Starches (corn, potato, wheat)
- • Citric acid
If you're looking for a specific Cargill ingredient not listed here, reach out to us. Our team can help identify the right solution for your formulation.
What food and beverage applications are Cargill ingredients suited for?
Cargill's ingredient portfolio covers a wide range of applications, including bakery, confectionery, dairy, dairy alternatives, beverages, snacks, sauces, and meat processing. Whether you're developing a clean-label snack bar, a reduced-sugar beverage, or a plant-based dairy alternative, Gillco's technical team can help you identify the right Cargill ingredient for your specific formulation needs.
Are Cargill ingredients available in organic or non-GMO options?
Yes. Several Cargill ingredients distributed by Gillco are available in non-GMO and certified organic versions, including tapioca syrup. Cargill is also committed to sustainable sourcing practices, including their Cargill Cocoa Promise program and their Stevia Sustainability Agricultural Standard. If clean-label, organic, or non-GMO certification is required for your product, let us know, and we'll point you to the right options.
What makes Gillco different from buying Cargill ingredients directly or through another distributor?
As one of only six authorized Cargill distributors in North America, Gillco brings something most distributors can't: a technically trained sales force that understands formulation, not just fulfillment. When you work with Gillco, you get a real person who picks up the phone, knows your application, and can help you troubleshoot, not just process an order. We also offer competitive pricing, consistent supply, and full regulatory documentation support.
Can I request a sample of a Cargill ingredient before placing an order?
Absolutely. Sampling is one of the best ways to evaluate ingredient performance in your specific application. Contact Gillco directly to request a sample of any Cargill ingredient, and our team will help you get what you need to move your formulation forward.
Does Gillco provide technical support for Cargill ingredients?
Yes, and this is one of the things that sets Gillco apart. Our sales team is technically trained to support your formulation process, not just your purchasing process. Whether you have questions about lecithin functionality in an emulsion, the right citric acid grade for your application, or how to position a stevia-sweetened product for clean label, we're here to help.
How do I place an order for Cargill ingredients through Gillco?
Getting started is simple. Contact Gillco through our website or give us a call. Our team will discuss your ingredient needs, application requirements, and volume, then get you set up with the right product, pricing, and documentation. We serve food and beverage manufacturers nationwide and are ready to support your supply chain from first inquiry to final delivery.
Partner with Gillco for Cargill Ingredients
As one of Cargill's trusted distribution partners, Gillco offers a wide range of Cargill's specialty ingredients. With nearly 40 years of experience in the food, nutrition, and pharmaceutical industries, Gillco provides consistent supply, competitive pricing, expert technical support, and comprehensive regulatory documentation. Our team is here to help you succeed with your ingredient needs.
For more information about Cargill's ingredients or to request a sample, contact Gillco today.