BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA, U.S. – Takuya Mitani is taking on the role of chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Miller Milling from retiring Jeffrey Thomas, the company announced on Nov. 5.

Mitani joined Nisshin Seifun Group in 2006 from Cargill Japan and became Miller Milling’s director of Finance from 2012 until 2017. His tenure spanned both Nisshin’s initial acquisition of Miller Milling’s Fresno California, U.S., and Winchester, Virginia, U.S., flour mills in 2012, and their 2014 acquisition of four additional flour mills in connection with the formation of Ardent Mills. 

“Mitani has consistently delivered results in a variety of challenging roles,” Miller Milling said. “We are confident that he is the proper leader to take Miller Milling’s business to the next stage.”

Miller Milling expressed appreciation for Thomas’ work as CEO and president of the company, a role he took on in June 2017 after being promoted from vice-president of operations.

“We are grateful for Thomas’ many contributions to date,” Miller Milling said. “His efforts as CEO have helped Miller Milling get to where it is today.”

Miller Milling was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., in 1985 and began by providing durum semolina to large customers through regional destination mills.

In 2012, Miller Milling became a part of the Nisshin Seifun Group of Japan. In 2014, Miller Milling acquired four milling operations in California, Texas and Minnesota. In 2018, a project to add capacity to the Saginaw mill in Texas completed. The company has 104,600 cwts of combined flour milling and durum milling daily production capacity.

According to Sosland Publishing’s 2019 Grain & Milling Annual, Miller Milling has a total wheat flour capacity 106,000 cwts, total durum flour capacity 18,500 cwts, total mill grain storage capacity of 7,780,000 bushels. Miller Milling's 106,000 cwts of daily capacity makes them the fourth largest flour milling company in North America, just below Grain Craft, ADM Milling Co. and Ardent Mills.