A mill to feed millions 🎞️

“Our people work really hard. They see the importance of the work they do, and they’re very proud to be able to help to feed people. When it’s more than just a job or a piece of equipment, there’s a shared purpose behind it. I believe that really shows in all 35 community mills of our group in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico,” says Dye. It’s this spirit that helped create what is now known as Ardent Mills. “After 33 years at Cargill, I had the unique opportunity to move to Ardent Mills when the joint venture between Conagra Brands, Cargill, and CHS was announced in 2013. It's been a very exciting journey to help create this new organization, to shape culture, and of course to be part of the flour milling community.” 

Bringing together different companies, cultures, and ways of doing things is a challenging endeavor for any industry. In flour milling – a calling that permanently balances art and technology, and relies to a great extent on personal experience, and learned nuances – the challenges are even greater. But then so are the opportunities. “Milling is one of the more traditional industries. But if you think about it, it’s also very fast-paced. A mill never stands still and there’s always room for innovation. For example, if we look at the last 10 years, the technology continues to improve to help us to get more yield, become more energy-efficient, or work more precisely, to name just a few benefits,” he explains. Implementing new technology and finding new ways of serving the many customers all over North America played a key role in turning Ardent Mills from a merger of three major players into one company with a clear mission: to enhance the quality of life and standard of health.

While Dye is getting briefed on the facility’s latest performance data by Steve Neely, Plant Manager at Ardent Mills, Tyler Adair puts on his safety gear and heads into the mill with the distinctive gait of a miller on a mission. He’s the Head Miller of the Port Redwing Mill and is responsible for the smooth operations of one of the most modern mills in the world. “We work two 12-hour shifts, six days a week. Our output is 800 tonnes of flour a day, so everything needs to run like clockwork – all the time,” he explains. His job certainly comes with a fundamental understanding of the responsibility of providing a key staple food to millions of consumers.

Adair’s path to become the Head Miller of Ardent Mills’ flagship facility was paved by his desire to combine his passion for engineering and creating something meaningful with his skills. “After high school, I got my bachelor’s degree in Milling Science and Management at Kansas State University. I was immediately hooked by the unique combination of science and art in flour milling. From there, my journey took me to Ardent Mills in Kansas, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and now I’m here in Florida thanks to the development opportunities Ardent Mills offered me throughout my career,” he says.

The mill in Port Redwing is critical in feeding an ever-growing population. Florida is the third most populous state in the United States. Despite its population of over 22 million, it was the fastest growing state between 2021 and 2022 with an increase of 1.9 percent. With such staggering growth comes an ever-increasing appetite for flour-based foods – and the need for reliable storage capacity in a state prone to be hit by hurricanes, which can disrupt supply chains for several days or even weeks. 

“Our on-site storage capacity is 4.1 million bush-els (110,000 tonnes) of raw material storage. That allows us to continue producing around the clock in case of emergency,” explains Adair. A bushel is a standard unit of volume in the United States. “From our silos, the grain is transported to our mills. We have the latest Bühler equipment from cleaning to grinding, conveying, sifting, dedusting, and bagging. It was clear to us from day one that to fulfill these incredible demands, we needed best-in-class equipment,” says Adair. 

Building the mill, however, was one of the toughest tasks in Kunz’s decades in the milling industry. “Right when we began with the groundwork, the coronavirus started spreading around the world. Since milling is considered critical infrastructure, we were able to continue building. The safety of everyone involved was always our top priority, and it is only due to the flexibility, dedication, and willingness to go the extra mile of all partners involved that we were able to meet the deadlines,” recalls Kunz.