Tony Gaertner, Author at Miller Milling

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Miller Milling Sustainability Week

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023

Sustainability Week Overview

Miller Milling held its first ever company-wide Sustainability Week following Earth Day. The week’s intention was to dedicate time for education, to raise awareness, and to promote action around sustainability. The initiatives were meant to spark curiosity in people across all areas of the business, to share the company’s sustainability strategies, and to participate in activities important to valuing the planet and people.

The week began with a company-wide kick-off meeting in which Miller Milling’s Sustainability Week was introduced in line with the company’s Sustainability Strategies of carbon reduction, regenerative practices, and supporting people. The activities of the week included a Carbon Footprint Challenge, Volunteer Projects, a Lunch-and-Learn, a food drive, and the launch of a new sustainability suggestion process for employees.

The Carbon Footprint Challenge

The Carbon Footprint Challenge is a way to gauge personal environmental impact and consumption by calculating the total amount of greenhouse gases being produced as a result of daily lifestyle choices. Each employee was encouraged to do the challenge and was asked to reflect on their results. The entire company from corporate teams to each mill site team was invited to participate by completing an online survey of their personal tendencies around energy use, travel, food, and other topics. The average footprint of the 113 participants was 56 tons of CO2 annually. According to the Nature Conservancy, the US average footprint is 16 tons, which is one of the highest averages in the world. Globally the average is 4 tons. All who completed the survey were eligible for a site-wide raffle where an RTIC cooler was given away. In addition, the company raffled off one Aventon Pace 500 e-Bike to a participant. Many of the reflection responses made clear that this activity prompted new thinking around how to live more sustainably.

Volunteer Projects

The Volunteer Projects were intended to support local organizations and communities where Miller Milling operates. The projects differed at each site as Corporate volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, LA will be participating in a Beach Clean-up, Oakland will be volunteering at Alameda Co. Community Food Bank, Fresno volunteered at Central California Food Bank and Blood Drive, Saginaw volunteered at Community Link Food Bank, and Winchester will be volunteering at the local Apple Blossom Festival as well as Clean-Up activities at Winchester Rescue Mission. Each event allowed employees to better their community in some way by donating their time.

Lunch-and-Learn

The Lunch-and-Learn was an initiative to educate employees about a sustainability topic. This week, the topic of composting at home was explored because of its importance in reducing landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions from food waste. Each mill location and corporate sessions were led by one person who was passionate about the topic. Those who participated in this event were given the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win an at home rotating compost bin. This event helped engage and educate employees on practices they can implement in their own lives to support sustainability.

Food Drive

Additionally, each site participated in a food drive from which items will be donated to local organizations in need of supplies. Each location recorded the number of items received and the weight of the items in pounds. Combined, the company collected over 1200 pounds of food. Miller Milling strives to support local communities where operations are, and the food drive was a huge success in doing so.

All in all, Miller Milling’s first Sustainability Week was a success in engaging the company in different ways through personal reflection, team collaboration, and community efforts. Though Sustainability Week is complete, Miller Milling hopes to continue the conversation and engagement around this topic.

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Miller Milling to expand solar power at Fresno mill

May 12, 2023May 12, 2023

BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA, US — Miller Milling Co., a part of Japan-based Nisshin Seifun Group, recently announced plans to expand its solar power capabilities at its flour mill in Fresno, California, US.

Company officials said the expansion will add 1.01 megawatts of DC electricity that will be transformed and used at the mill. This amount plus the existing 1.01 megawatts of electricity being produced through solar will satisfy roughly 33% of the total electrical demand of the facility, the company said.

Miller Milling Co.’s solar power system became operational toward the end of 2017, Damon Sidles, plant manager, said in a 2018 article in World Grain. The project involved the installation of 2,340 solar panels required for the project on 5 acres located adjacent to the mill, he said.

In 2021, Miller Milling enrolled the facility in the US EPA Energy Star Challenge for Industry, which challenges industrial sites to reduce their energy intensity by 10% within a five-year period from enrolling. The company said it anticipates the Freson site will accomplish this goal by 2024 when the additional solar production is fully operational.

“This accomplishment will make the Fresno facility the only US-based flour mill to achieve the USEPA Challenge,” the company said. “We are proud that we will be joining many of our baking customers who have already achieved the challenge.

“The use of renewable energy is supportive of a primary sustainability goal of Miller Milling which is to reduce our overall CO₂ emissions. Our targets of 50% reduction of CO₂ emissions (from 2013 baseline) by 2030 and zero emissions by 2050 are aggressive but achievable via projects like this and further investment into renewable energy options.”

Miller Milling said it also is expanding its sustainable efforts to include support of regenerative agriculture in wheat production.

“We will be leveraging partnerships with our suppliers and customers to support farming practices that sustain soil health and reduce the production of CO₂ emissions through agricultural practices,” the company said.

The Fresno facility’s daily flour production capacity is 9,500 cwts, according to Sosland Publishing’s 2023 Grain & Milling Annual. Miller Milling operates five mills in the United States with a combined daily milling capacity of 86,600 cwts, making it the nation’s fifth largest miller, according to the Grain & Milling Annual.

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Miller Milling to Expand Texas Facility

March 29, 2023March 30, 2023

Added capacity will serve rising flour and bakery demand in southern market

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – March 29, 2023 – Miller Milling, a full-service flour milling company,
today announced it will expand and upgrade its Saginaw, Texas mill operations in order to meet
growing demand for flour in the region.

This state-of-the-art milling site is set to manufacture an additional 10,000 cwts of flour per
day, significantly increasing its capacity to 34,000 cwts of flour per day. The Saginaw, TX flour
mill will become the 3rd largest milling site in the United States. This facility was previously
expanded in 2019 and continues to grow with new and existing customers.

“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 CEO 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 winter 2024, this expansion will include leading-edge milling
technology with a continued focus on food safety, efficiency and waste reduction.

“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,
VP 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 5-10 years.”

About Miller Milling
Founded in Minneapolis in 1985, Miller Milling is a leader in the milling industry and operates
five strategically located facilities across the country. Miller Milling joined Nisshin Seifun Group
in 2012. The company is a full-service milling resource that prides itself on its commitment to
customer service and unparalleled attention to detail. Given its strength, service and diversity
of products customers have come to expect Miller Milling as a long-term partner and resource.
Learn more at www.millermilling.com.

About Nisshin Seifun Group
Founded in Japan in 1900, the Nisshin Seifun Group has become that country’s largest flour
milling company and has diversified into a wide range of business areas. It operates flour mills
in Asia, North America and Oceania. As a globally expanding business, the Nisshin Seifun Group
helps to enhance people’s lives by supporting healthy lifestyles and building food infrastructure.
Learn more at www.nisshin.com/english.

MEDIA CONTACT:
William Untereker
Director of Legal & PR
Miller Milling
Will.Untereker@MillerMilling.com

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Oakland Volunteers Support Alameda Co. Community Food Bank

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023

Hunger by the Numbers

The cost of living in the San Francisco Bay area makes it especially difficult for working families to afford basic necessities such as housing, utilities and transportation, let alone put a healthy meal on the table.

In fact, research shows it takes a family of four $92,267 to meet the basics in the Oakland metro area. Yet 65 percent of our clients have incomes less than $28,290.

The Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) not only serves or distributes enough food to support 60,000 people a day. Every morning, dozens of trucks arrive at the ACCFB Oakland warehouse. They are filled with fresh friut, vegetables, milk, eggs, bread and much more. By the end of the day, thousands of pounds of food will leave their doors and fill tables and cupboards in the community. This happens due to the partnerships with more than 420 food pantries, hot-meal programs, senior centers and other non-profits who distribute millions of pounds of food each year.

Other ways the ACCFB provides assistance is through:

management of CalFresh food stamps and outreach,
policy and advocacy,
healthcare, nutrition initiatives and education programs, and
child and student wellness programs.

Oakland Team Getting Involved!

On Wednesday January 11, 2023, the Oakland Mill reinstated their previous partnership with ACCFB! COVID had caused a pause in the relationship over the past 2 years.

Six Mill employees donated their time to pack bulk onions into smaller bags for distribution to the community. Overall, the team worked 24 hours to support the redistribution of food for Food Bank.

The Mill will set up a quarterly schedule to volunteer to support ACCFB moving forward.