Exploration & Processing - Winter 2011 - (Page 42)

REDMOND MINERALS INC. BY RUSS GAGER AGRICULTURAL CUSTOMERS OF REDMOND MINERALS INC. TOLD THEM THEY WERE SITTING ON A GOLD MINE OF SALT RICH IN MINERALS. SALT OF THE EARTH R Redmond Minerals says the natural minerals found in its salt mine has helped its RealSalt product gain ground in the natural food market because of their added nutritional and flavor benefits. elying on the adage about lemons and lemonade, Redmond Minerals Inc. has carved out niche markets for its salt products where the added minerals can provide benefits to the humans and animals consuming them. “A lot of the rock salt mines just don’t have the mineral content in them,” CEO Rhett Roberts points out. “The solar salt operations typically strip the other minerals from the salt and they are sold separately. In our local markets in Salt Lake, the minerals are the primary thing they’re going after, and the salt is a byproduct.” But for Redmond Minerals Inc. – whose reddish-hued RealSalt product is growing rapidly in the natural foods market – the minerals combined with the salt are the main attraction. “We refer to it as a sea salt that comes from an ancient seabed,” Vice President Jason Nielsen explains. “It congealed, and now we mine it. We refer to it as nature’s first sea salt, as opposed to modern day sea salts.” He thinks the biggest advantage is RealSalt’s taste. “It doesn’t have that bitter bite that a lot of salts do,” Nielsen continues. “A lot of people wonder how much dextrose or sugar we add to it, because we don’t get that bitterness. A lot of chefs across the country use it exclusively in their cooking.” RealSalt uses no sugar, chemicals or anti-caking agents. Its biggest market is in health food stores. “In Whole Foods or any major health food store, you’ll find our product,” Nielsen asserts. “It’s the No. 1 selling and the fastestgrowing sea salt in the health food industry.” It is distributed nationally and internationally to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia and a dash in Europe. Close to the Surface The company’s salt also is used in agricultural products. Trophy Rock is an all-natural mineral supplement used to attract and increase the antler mass of whitetail deer, mule deer and elk. The salt also is used in IceSlicer, an environmentally friendly deicing product. Redmond Heritage Farms provides fresh, real milk and other foods high in nutrients. The other products the company mines are Redmond Clay – for a variety of internal and external ailments – and Redmond Bentonite, which is used in drilling, sealing and other industrial applications. “When sodium bentonite is hydrated, it swells to 16 times its normal size,” Roberts maintains. “It works well in sealing appliWINTER 2011 COMPANY PROFILE Redmond Minerals Inc. www.redmondinc.com Sales: $30 million HQ: Heber, Utah Employees: 165 Specialty: Oil and natural gas Rhett Roberts, CEO: “We’re only mining a couple hundred feet deep – we’re not down very far. That’s unusual.” production and exploration 42 | EXPLORATION-PROCESSING.COM http://www.EXPLORATION-PROCESSING.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Exploration & Processing - Winter 2011

Exploration & Processing - Winter 2011
Contents
Redefining Refining
Synfuels Success
A Natural Solution
After the Fallout
Uranium on the Rise
Galleon Energy Inc.
Gibraltar Mines Ltd.
The Municipal Group of Companies
Selwyn Resources Ltd.
Redmond Minerals Inc.
Copper Fox Metals
Henry Resources
OFM Pump Inc.
Sunshine Oilsands Ltd.
Pacific Rubiales Energy Co.
Thermo Design Engineering
Alexco Resource Corp.
North American Palladium
Mammoet Canada Eastern Ltd.
KSM Inc.
Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Ltd.
Flexpipe Systems
Guyana Goldfields Inc.
Flotek Industries Inc.
Dominion Terminal Associates
Compressor and Engine Service LLC
BEHR Energy Services Ltd.
LoneStar Energy Fabrication
American Oil & Gas – The Goliath Project
Alberta Oilsands Inc.
Southern Petroleum Laboratories Inc.
Cochrane Technologies Inc.
Crystal Flash Energy
Energold Drilling Corp.
Esperanza Resources Corp.
Explorator Resources Inc.
Rush Sales Co.
Kimber Resources Inc.
Nelson Bros. Oilfield (1997) Services Ltd.
Gulf Copper and Manufacturing
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Exploration & Processing - Winter 2011