How a father-daughter duo in rural Ontario created a whole new category of food — by accident.
In a world of biotech precision, Dr. Francis Glenn and his daughter Margo Lee of Glenn Seed are doing something almost unthinkable: they’re innovating in corn using traditional plant breeding. And they’re winning in their field.
Tucked away in southern Ontario, the Glenns aren’t going against the grain — they’ve created a whole new kind of corn.
Francis Glenn is known in the ag world for his work in silage corn. His varieties, bred for soft kernels and digestibility, were already a hit among cattle producers. But something unexpected happened: that soft, floury kernel turned out to be delicious.
“We’d be working in fields all day and I’d get hungry,” Francis says with a laugh. “So, I’d start tasting kernels. Some were bitter, some were bland — but some had this beautiful, nutty, toasty flavour. It got us thinking: what else could this corn do other than feed animals?”
Fast-forward to today: the Glenns are pioneering a new food-grade corn category, one that didn’t even exist until they invented it — floury corn. Unlike typical corn bred for density and durability, their hybrids are soft, delicate, and rich in flavour. And unlike most gluten-free products on the market — which Margo notes are often “white, bland and joyless” — this corn transforms into rich golden pasta, silky tortillas, and even cakes, waffles and cookies with great texture, flavour and appearance.
“This isn’t just a substitute,” Margo says. “It’s something entirely new. It has its own flavour, its own mouthfeel, its own story. And it’s Canadian. What’s more, it is identity preserved and non-GMO.”
An Unlikely Innovation Pipeline
Francis, now 78, started Glenn Seed in 1980. His breeding approach is methodical, deeply hands-on, and defiantly low-tech — a stark contrast to the high-throughput, marker-assisted breeding that dominates today’s corn breeding landscape. In his words, “We don’t just cross plants — we live with them.”
That slow, deliberate method has given rise to something rare: a completely proprietary and globally unique line of corn. Floury corn is so distinct that there’s virtually nothing else like it in the world — aside from some rare Mexican landraces that share its soft kernel trait. To their knowledge, the Glenns’ program is the only successful global breeding effort that is systematically developing floury corn hybrids.
“Most breeders are selecting for hard kernels and rapid drying. We did the opposite — soft texture, slow drying — because it makes better silage. And it turns out, it makes better food for people, too,” says Francis.
Margo, 42, is also a plant breeder, thanks to years of apprenticeship under her father and her ongoing pursuit of a master’s degree in plant breeding. Together, they’ve pushed the envelope even further — not just breeding new food-grade hybrids but collaborating with chefs and food scientists to develop recipes from scratch. Brownies, tortillas, pastas — all created through trial and error using this one-of-a-kind corn.
They even worked with Monterrey Tec in Mexico on a tortilla study. The result? Tortillas made with their corn required less energy, had higher fibre, lasted longer, and — crucially — tasted delicious.
Built for Cows, Loved by Humans
It’s a twist worthy of a documentary: a corn developed for cattle feed turns out to be a game-changing ingredient for the booming gluten-free food market. And they didn’t find it in a lab — they found it by chewing on kernels in the field.
“We’re probably some of the last people still doing traditional, generation-by-generation corn breeding in North America,” Francis says. “All of our genetics come from our own lines. Every hybrid we make today is built off cycles of our own selections — something we started over 45 years ago.”
This isn’t boutique science. The Glenns operate a global business, supplying seed companies from Canada to New Zealand to Ukraine. Their catalog is vast — in any given year they might test 800 to 900 new hybrids, releasing 10 or more for global markets. But even with that scale, their work in floury corn feels personal, artisanal and surprisingly joyful.
“It’s fun,” Margo says. “It’s rare in science or agriculture to have so much space to play and explore. And because we’re not a giant multinational, we’re free to follow what’s interesting — not just what’s profitable.”
The Beauty of Being Small (and Slow)
In many ways, their independence is their superpower. Without the pressure to produce massive volume or to engineer a blockbuster trait, they’ve carved out a creative space that bigger players simply can’t afford to occupy.
“We’re not trying to feed the world with this,” Francis says. “But for people who eat gluten-free or for chefs looking for something new and beautiful, this corn is extraordinary.”
And while the food side is still a small part of their business — silage remains their bread and butter — the Glenns are planting the seeds of a culinary revolution. They’re experimenting with new colours (including a “peaches and cream” effect), textures, and flavour profiles. It’s not just gluten-free flour — it’s a design material.
“We’re just getting started,” Margo says. “This will be a 10-year journey at least, but we’re building something no one else has. That’s worth the wait.”
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