Prime Minister John Key opens new facility for independent local co-op – Farmers Mill.
Locally produced flour, up to 28,000 metric tonnes of it a year, will be on the menu for New Zealand families with the opening of a new flour processing mill in the mid South Island city of Timaru.
Locally owned Farmers Mill, the country’s only independent grower owned and operated flour producer, has invested $10 million in the facility, which will serve some of New Zealand’s leading baked goods producers such as Griffin’s Foods Limited and Coupland’s Bakeries.
Farmers Mill chairman Murray Turley says the new processing plant will put more of Canterbury’s famous grains into some of New Zealand’s favourite foods and offer a high-quality local substitute for imported flours and grains.
“Farmer’s Mill flour will be traceable from paddock to plate – we know exactly where it is from and how it reflects the growing skills of some of Canterbury’s finest arable farmers to deliver the highest quality wheats and other grains New Zealand can produce,” Mr Turley says.
The mill, officially opened by Prime Minister John Key last month is a positive step that looks to continue the strong tradition of flour production in New Zealand and sustain the arable farming sector long-term, says Farmers Mill chief executive Grant Bunting.
“With our state-of-the-art flour mill, we are able to produce higher quality flour, tailored specifically to our customers needs – a significant development for the sector,” he says.
This also gives the home-grown mill a clear advantage in supplying local customers who now have the reassurance their products are made with 100 percent Kiwi grown grains. The official opening of Farmers Mill marks a milestone for flour production in New Zealand.
“In a competitive market it is increasingly important for manufacturers to be transparent about the traceability of their product – this is where our farmer-owned mill offers a unique point of difference,” Mr Bunting says.
For foundation customer Griffin’s, Farmers Mill, with a capacity of 28,000MT per year, can produce enough flour to bake seven billion Chocolate Chippie biscuits – enough for one per human in the world.
Farmers Mill co-operative is a manufacturer and marketer of flour and speciality grains grown in the South Island and milled in Timaru. Owned by 12 South Island farmers, the co-operative is the only independent flour producer in the country enabling manufacturers to pass on the promise to customers of being New Zealand made.
Producing 28,000MT of flour annually, the mill uses the most advanced equipment in the industry to manufacture the best flour in a highly competitive market.
Farmers Mill grain ensures the best quality and the best value – right from the paddock to the plate.
