Ardent Mills adds states to organic wheat producer program

Ardent Mills, a Denver-based flour-milling and ingredient company, said it expanded its producer program to a total of seven U.S. states and a Canadian province while adding more organic-certified milling and packaging locations, along with storage facilities. Since its initial announcement last December of its intention to double U.S. organic wheat acres by 2019, Ardent Mills has continued to see growing demand for organic wheat flour from both foodservice and food companies, noted Dan Dye, the company's CEO.

“This is a significant opportunity for growers to become a part of an emerging market and to create additional value for their crops on the path to organic certification," he said. "We have been providing organic flour since 1996 and are well positioned to meet this bold challenge."

Ardent Mills said it maintains strong producer relationships, contracting organic wheat acres in seven states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming) and Saskatchewan for its program in 2016. Soon the company will have a total of eight organic-certified milling and packaging locations, along with a storage facility, all focused on quality, consistency and performance.

“By planning and launching regional and national products, we can deliver supply assurance and scalability,” said Shrene White, Ardent Mills' director of specialty, risk management. “Since 2015, we’ve added organic durum, organic cracked wheat and organic spelt to our product mix, which also includes organic whole-wheat flour, organic bread wheat flour, organic all-purpose wheat flour and organic pastry flour, various ancient grains and breads made at our Innovative Bakery Resources facility."

Almost 6 percent of total breads and grains sold in the U.S. are organic, according to Organic Trade Association’s 2016 Organic Industry Survey. OTA data show an 8.5 percent increase in organic breads and grains sold in 2015 over 2014, Ardent Mills noted.

"We're very excited to work with farmers as they transition to this growing market and to provide our customers with an assured supply in support of their new product and menu introductions," stated Mike Miller, vice president of risk management for the company."

Beginning in January 2016, Ardent Mills hosted a series of grower meetings in the west. These sessions, coordinated in conjunction with Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit certifier and educator, were opportunities for farmers to learn more about Ardent Mills’ Organic Initiative 2019 and to learn more about organic certification, the company said.

“As farmers join this effort, they will have direct support services, workshops and long-term contracts for transitional and organic wheat bushels,” White explained.