Ardent Mills expands grains capabilities at Colorado mill in response to specialty demand

27 May 2019 --- Ardent Mills is launching a new set of capabilities within the existing mill in the popular River North Art District (RiNo) of Denver, Colorado. The mill’s new processing “muscle” will directly support The Annex by Ardent Mills (the Annex). The company is investing in the Denver Mill to add capability to clean and pack intact grains, pearl barley and dehull heirloom grains like emmer, einkorn and spelt for a growing segment of farmers looking to bring these grains to market and customers who want to incorporate them into their recipes.

The mill enhancement is in response to rapidly increasing customer demand in segments such as artisan baking, brewing and distilling, food service and retail foods. These customers are seeking a connection to heritage traditions and ingredients, food safety certification, and product consistency and purity. The Annex is ideally positioned to service these needs through the mill, which will produce and clean food-grade, organic and non-GMO grains and sell them nationwide in 25- and 50-pound bags and totes.

Ardent Mills is launching a new set of capabilities within the existing mill in the popular River North Art District (RiNo) of Denver, Colorado. “Our first year has been wrapped in innovation,” said Shrene White, Director, The Annex. “We have listened to our customers, worked closely with our farmers and evaluated the future of the markets we can serve. Through the organic-certified mill, we are helping our customers bring these grains to life by serving as their source for dependable, food-safe, high-quality intact grains.”

“As more and more farmers are willing to grow these grains, milling becomes the next important step to get them to the market place,” said Kelly Whitaker, award-winning chef and co-founder of Noble Grain Alliance. “Noble Grain Alliance and our hospitality group are committed to the restoration of heirloom grains to Colorado and we are excited to see the development of the Denver Mill to help advance our work and the work of so many others into the future.”

The Annex, dedicated to cultivating the future of specialty grains and plant-based ingredients, has aggressive plans to continue to grow and expand in Year Two. The Denver mill project is one of the first steps in this effort. The capital investment will provide the mill with comprehensive capabilities including cleaning, dehulling, pearling, color sorting and packaging.

The project at the Denver mill was announced less than two weeks after Ardent Mills announced four plant closures. The four plants impacted are Macon, Georgia, Loudonville, Ohio and Red Lion, Pennsylvania, which will close effective June 30, 2019; Rush City, Minnesota will close the first quarter of calendar year 2020. Ardent Mills will operate and invest in the remaining 35 flour mills across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. 

“These decisions are difficult, especially because of the impact on our valued team members. However, this is a critical step to put greater focus and investment on the rest of our plants,” said Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills. “Our growth plan calls for strategic investments in our unmatched network of community mills; these changes allow us to grow accordingly and better meet customer needs.”