DENVER, COLORADO, US — Utah Flour Milling, LLC, which was formed earlier this year through a combination of Denver-based PHM Brands LLC and Japan-based NIPPN Corp., has unveiled the site of its new flour mill and custom mix facility: Richmond, Utah, US.

NIPPN Corp., which operates one of Japan’s largest flour milling businesses, announced on May 15 that it would be entering the US milling market for the first time with a $25 million investment in Utah Flour Milling, LLC. At that time, no announcement was made on where the mill would be located.

On July 25, the companies said the $100 million mill and mix facility will be located adjacent to a Campbell Snacks baking plant in Richmond and primarily will be responsible for production of Goldfish and Pepperidge Farm products. Campbell Snacks is a division of Camden, New Jersey, US-based Campbell Soup Co.

“We are thrilled to have secured a long-term supply agreement with the Campbell Snacks bakery in Richmond and look forward to supporting their Goldfish expansion project,” said Gina Steffens, chief executive officer of PHM Brands. “The onsite flour mill will ensure continuous flour availability for Goldfish and Pepperidge Farm cookie production while improving manufacturing performance and efficiency. Ultimately, the project in Utah is the result of critical partnerships with Campbell, NIPPN Corp. and Bratney Companies, which are all very important to us.”

Peter Bisaccia, president of PHM Brands, added, “This is an exceptional opportunity for Panhandle Milling to expand our current operational reach in the flour milling industry and establish valuable supplier relationships with local farmers both within Utah and in neighboring states. With Bratney leading the equipment supply, engineering and construction of this strategic project, the facility will be the most modern, efficient and technologically advanced flour milling facility in the region.”

PHM Brands said the Richmond facility will contain more than 1 million bushels of grain storage, at a site that provides convenient access to main-artery truck and railway routes.

“With state-of-the-art milling, mix, pelleting and packaging capabilities, the facility will support retail, foodservice, and bulk rail and truck markets, in addition to private label production and co-manufacturing,” Bisaccia said. “Additionally, the new flour mill will process spring, hard and soft wheats, and will be organic, non-GMO, kosher, halal and GFSI-BRC certified.”

Utah Flour Milling will begin construction of the mill this summer, and it is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024, according to PHM Brands, which also noted the plant’s daily flour production capacity will be between 7,500 cwts and 15,000 cwts. The mill will feature leading-edge technology, including patented pathogen-reduction biotechnology from Energis Solutions, a subsidiary of PHM Brands.

“I am excited that NIPPN Corp. has tied an operational and management partnership with PHM Brands, LLC,” said Toshiya Maezuru, president and CEO of NIPPN. “Through this partnership, NIPPN Corp. will be entering the US flour market for the first time in our long history and will focus on long-term contributions, continuing to strengthen our partnership with PHM Brands and Panhandle Milling and growing this business through our synergies.”

NIPPN’s investment in Utah Flour Milling will accelerate the speed of business growth in the United States by leveraging synergies among the Group’s existing companies — NIPPN California Inc., a California-based premix sales company, and Pasta Montana, LLC, a Montana-based pasta production and sales company, NIPPN said.

NIPPN is one of the “big four” flour millers in Japan, along with Nisshin, Showa Sangyo and Nitto Fuji, which combine for over 75% of the country’s flour milling market share. In recent years, NIPPN consistently has garnered between 23% and 24% of the flour milling market share in Japan and it continues to upgrade its seven flour mills.

Formerly known as Nippon Flour Mills Co. Ltd., the company changed its name to NIPPN in 2021.