2024 Pulse Family of the year
Max Hinrichs, Director of International Trade, for Hinrichs Trading Company, has spent the last 35 years in International trade. He started his career with the Max Hinrichs Seed Company, a family farming and processing business. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at Washington State University. After leaving the family business he started in San Francisco Trading beans for H.P. Schmid, a well know exporter in the Bay Area. From there he was hired by the Andre S.A. Group. At that time Andre, was one of the top 5 International Grain Trading companies worldwide, with a 100-year history. With Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) Max continued to trade pulses until he joined the ADM Packaged Oils Group trading domestic and international accounts. In 2008 Max returned to the Family Business to work with his brother Phil Hinrichs at the Hinrichs Trading Company. Hinrichs Trading is a large processor specializing in USA Chickpeas grown in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2021, Ardent Mills purchased the HTC processing plants in all locations, and Max worked for Ardent Mills as a Key Account Manager during the transition. As a past President of the American Dry Pea and Lentil Association he has many friends in the Pulse trade.
The support to do everything above comes from the Support of my family. My wonderful wife Vicki was married into a pulse farming family in 1979. We have 2 children, Molly Hinrichs Ramos married to Joe Ramos with three children Sabastian 17, Garret 17, Keegan 15 all living in the Parker Colorado area and our youngest daughter Juliann Hinrichs is currently living in Sherman Oaks California. Vicki and I have kept the girls involved in the family businesses and they have a love for The City of Pullman and the Palouse and Washinton State University.
Max Hinrichs
Phil Hinrichs
Phil and Pamala Hinrichs
Phil Hinrichs has been involved in the Pulse and Special Crops Agriculture Value Added business his entire career. He began working in his Grandfathers Seed business, Max Hinrichs Seed Co., at an early age. Phil graduated from Washington State University and pursued his other passion, playing professional baseball, from 1980-85. He then returned to Pullman, WA. and worked at his father & uncle’s processing company, Max Hinrichs Seed Company from 1985 through 1986. Phil then began working at H.P Schmid to gain some experience outside of the family business. Phil worked at H.P. Schmid in a trading role, for two years, and then moved to P.S. International to round out his exposure to International Trade for another two years.
Phil and Pamela founded Hinrichs Trading LLC in 1996 and began building the value-added organization at HTC, focusing on the origination, processing, trading, and logistics requirements of the chickpea business, as a results lead the largest independent chickpea processing company in the USA and establishing operations in 7 states along with his brother Max Hinrichs HTC was then later acquired by Ardent Mills LLC in June of 2021. He has been an active member and supporter of the U.S. Dry Bean Industry Trade Association and the U.S. Dry Pea & Lentil Trade Association and related grower organizations where he seats on a number of boards and committees. He also has been active in the Crop Improvement Association and the Seed Industry where he has been actively involved in the development of improved varieties for the industry to utilize through his relationships with the Plant Breeder at USDA and with the Extension Services of Washington State University.
Phil’s focus was to build long terms relationships with the growers he works with, and with the customers he supplies, his most valued asset was introducing chickpeas to the US Domestic marketplace and the HTC Brand around the world.
Phil and Pamela Hinrichs have three children, Phillip Jr, Kyle, & Katie, along with 4 grandchildren.