BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA, US — Only four years after completing a major expansion at its Saginaw, Texas, US, flour mill, Miller Milling announced on March 29 that it is planning another major expansion that will increase the plant’s daily capacity by 10,000 cwts.

The increase will make the Saginaw flour mill the third largest in the United States at 34,000 cwts of daily flour production capacity, behind North Dakota Mill in Grand Forks, North Dakota (54,500 cwts) and Ardent Mills’ plant in Hastings, Minnesota (35,260 cwts), according to Sosland Publishing Co.’s 2023 Grain & Milling Annual.  

The Saginaw mill also underwent a capacity expansion of 10,000 cwts, to 24,000 cwts, that was completed in 2019. When the upcoming expansion is complete, the Saginaw mill will be the largest in Texas, ahead of Ardent Mills’ facility in Saginaw, which has daily production capacity of 27,500 cwts.

According to the US Census Bureau, Texas has the third-fastest growing population in the country and the second largest overall at 30 million people, behind only California's 39 million. Major cities in the area include Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin.

“The expansion of our Texas mill will meet rising demand around the region while allowing for continued growth with our existing customers,” said Joe Girdner, president and chief executive officer of Miller Milling. “The Texas population is increasing dramatically. It’s important that we support our current and future customers, growing with them as demand continues to rise.”

Slated to begin production in December 2024 or early 2025, the expansion will include leading-edge milling technology with a continued focus on food safety, efficiency and waste reduction, the company said.

“This investment reflects our continued commitment to being a trusted partner for our customers, providing them with high-quality products and excellent service,” said Kevin Sebby, vice president of sales at Miller Milling. “As a proud partner of the Saginaw community since 1999, we are excited about this expansion because it will support the increased need for flour in Texas and the surrounding regions over the next 5 to 10 years.”

Miller Milling is a fully owned subsidiary of Japan’s largest flour miller, Tokyo-based Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.

Established in 1985, Miller Milling for many years specialized in durum milling before expanding into hard wheat in 1998. After being acquired by Nisshin Seifun Group in 2012, Miller Milling went from operating two US flour mills in California to six when it acquired four mills divested as part of the creation of Ardent Mills. In addition to Saginaw, the divested mills are located in Commerce and Oakland, California. A fourth mill in New Prague, Minnesota, was closed in 2019.

The Saginaw mill, which was built in 1999 as a partnership of Farmland Industries, Inc., Bay State Milling Co., and an Oklahoma regional cooperative, was sold to ConAgra Mills in 2003 before Miller Milling purchased it in 2014.

With the 10,000-cwt expansion at the Saginaw mill, Miller Milling’s overall daily flour milling capacity will increase to 96,600 cwts. It is currently the fifth largest milling company in the United States in terms of flour production capacity, according to the 2023 Grain & Milling Annual.