HEREFORD, TEXAS, US — Panhandle Milling has acquired the Arrowhead Mills facility in Hereford, a transaction that Panhandle described as the “first of a series of expansions to come in the near future that will continue to focus on serving retailers and customers in key areas of the country.” Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

As part of the transaction, Panhandle Milling said it has acquired assets that will allow it to expand capabilities, products and custom packaging solutions. Panhandle Milling's product portfolio now includes cereals, beans, whole grains, legumes, cereals and flakes, organic flours, stone-ground whole wheat, mixes and blends, and gluten-free specialty flours and grains, which Panhandle Milling said fit in well with its extrusion, flaking, drying, enrobing, grinding and roasting capabilities.

“In the past six months, we’ve seen an enormous demand spike in the retail flour and mix spaces,” said Peter Bisaccia, president of Panhandle Milling. “We are excited that with the Arrowhead assets, Panhandle Milling will allow us to accommodate the rapidly-growing needs of both new and existing retail customers and serve to strengthen our partnerships in the flour space.”

Bisaccia said Panhandle Milling expects to continue to support the local Hereford workforce.

“Supporting West Texas and the people of West Texas through both jobs and wholesome, nourishing food have always been central to the values and the mission of our Panhandle Milling business,” he said. “During these uncertain times we’re in a unique position of growth and it’s important that we actively work to pay it forward.”

Panhandle Milling said the addition of the Hereford facility is “the first of a series of expansions to come in the near future that will continue to focus on serving retailers and customers in key areas of the country.”

Panhandle Milling, along with Viobin and PHM Safe, are businesses of PHM Brands, a vertically integrated food, ingredient and technology manufacturer based in Denver, Colorado, US. According to Sosland Publishing’s 2020 Grain & Milling Annual, PHM Brands has a total wheat flour capacity of 7,500 cwts and a total mill grain storage capacity of 5 million bushels.

PHM was established in 2016 when three seasoned flour milling executives — Bisaccia, John Mason and Bryan Ledgerwood — joined forces with another investor, John Cure, to acquire a flour mill in Dawn, Texas, US. Over time, several other veteran milling executives joined their team, many of whom had been colleagues within the flour milling industry.

The Dawn flour mill business purchased in 2016 was acquired from Richardson Milling. The buyers decided to restore the mill’s original name — Panhandle Milling Co.

In a January 2019 interview with Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, Bisaccia and his colleagues described a company focused on finding underserved niches and emerging opportunities in flour and other grain-based ingredients. A broadening geographic footprint, wide-ranging packaging capabilities and increasing customer interest in ancient and specialty grains have created an opening, the executives said at the time.