Last updated on July 7th, 2025 at 09:58 am
Our Story
“I had a vision – a dream – to help ranchers
by developing products that help with digestion…
it was like a light had come on, and it seemed
as if a whole new world had opened up”
– Founder
The fledgling business which was started out of a 1-car garage in Southwest Minnesota was no different to other dealers out there. We were selling antibiotics, feed medications and vaccines to producers in a 15 mile radius. We were frustrated, we were nothing more than a me-too operation, bringing no real value to the livestock industry. We wanted to become a partner to the livestock industry, however at that point in time this was no more than a dream.
It was gazing out of this 1-car garage, looking out onto the cornfields, that the founder had the vision – as simple as it was – to get on the same side of the fence as the rancher, by developing products to improve digestion. It was like a light had come on, and it seemed as if a whole new world had opened up.
We had started on the journey that we are still on today – one that has made an impression on countless ranching operations across North America. What started as a single digestion ingredient in our recipes has evolved into a multi-component digestion powerhouse. The sulfates and oxides in every recipe were replaced over the years with what is now a 100% protected trace mineral. And the 15-mile radius has changed too. We now cover all of North America, with our focus being in ranching areas of US and Canada. While many things have changed along the way, our commitment – one that stemmed from that vision in that one car garage – has never changed.
2002
Rio Nutrition is founded in a 1-car garage in Vesta, MN. They sell vet supplies & vaccines to small farmers in the area.
2004
Duane Paskewitz joins Trevor Greenfield as a partner in the business. They add fencing supplies to their product lineup of vet supplies.
2006
Riomax lick tubs are born; a unique blend decidedly different from other tubs on the market.
2008
Riomax enters the Canadian market.
2014
Riomax adds Envirotubs to their lineup. It’s a biodegradable tub that has never been seen in the space before.
2016
The Riomax brand is growing, but the cattle market freefall makes for a tough year.
2017
Rio Nutrition HQ moves 20 miles east to a new building in Redwood Falls where we still are today.
2018
Project D begins. Rio Nutrition starts setting up dealerships across NA instead of solely working direct with ranchers.
2020
Select ranchers join us at HQ for 2 days of learning & networking. The brainchild of Rhyzogreen is born through a discussion with the ranchers.
2020
Trevor conducts an experiment on some alfalfa at HQ. It’s the first blend of what would become Rhyzogreen. (P.S. the trial still stands to this day!)
2021
Rhyzogreen hits the market and explodes. People are loving the results.
2021
We’re blown away by the results of a survey sent out to our customers. 80% of them believe the tub pays for itself.
2022
January 2022 marks the opening of our very own Livelab, where we conduct product trials and comparisons for both Riomax & Rhyzogreen.
2022
Our very own premix facility goes up at HQ in Minnesota. Now, our proprietary tub blend is all made in-house.
2024
Rhyzogreen is now on over half a million acres across North America. It’s a huge milestone!
2024
Rhyzogreen undergoes 3rd-party testing by Agrellus in 5 different states and comes out with an average of 25% increase in tonnage.
2025
This is us! We never could have made it this far without this incredible group of people! We’re drawn together by our passion for serving folks like you across rural North America. Here’s to many more great years ahead!
who is riomax?
check out the team!
Interested in joining our team?
Meet Our Team of Passionate Individuals.
And of course our valued truckers!
At Rio, our truckers are key! The Rio Orange Culture doesn't just stop with the employees, it is living strong in these trucker's lives. They are 100% committed to do the right thing by the rancher and are passionate about the success of every ranchers' operation. Although independent, these fellows are part of our team and strive to leave the customer with a good impression on every delivery.
Joe Anderson
Dick Archer
Brian Reddemann
Keith Dorpinghaus
Interested in joining our team?