On June 6, ConAgra Mills, Omaha, Neb., hosted a community celebration at its Oakland, Calif., mill, which has received operational and sustainable upgrades as well as state-of-the-art equipment. The 100,000-sq.-ft. facility operates 24 hours a day and employs approximately 40 people plus 12 dedicated contractors. The mill also ships 1.4 million lb. of flour daily to local and regional bakeries, restaurants, retail operations and food companies.

A proud member of Oakland’s business community and one of the nation’s leading suppliers of premium multi-use flours and whole grain ingredients, ConAgra Mills has helped food companies and restaurants provide grain-based foods to families for more than a century.

To celebrate the expansion of the mill, ConAgra Mills held a ribbon cutting featuring (pictured above, left to right) Chamber of Commerce president Joe Haraburda, Oakland mayor Jean Quan, ConAgra Mills president Bill Stoufer and Oakland Mill plant manager Matt Huelsman, along with assemblymember Rob Bonta, city councilmember Noel Gallo and other dignitaries.

The company also hosted customers and field trips for Oakland school children, giving them the opportunity to see the mill’s sustainable technology in action and learn more about growing, harvesting and milling wheat. Interactive stations allowed participants to experience wheat’s field-to-fork story, from a milling demonstration all the way to making pizza dough. Local food trucks that use flour from the mill, including Cupkates and Fist of Flour, were also there to serve attendees.

Built as a grain storage elevator in 1927 and then converted to a flour mill in 1965, the Oakland Mill has had $21.7 million in upgrades. ConAgra Mills says it’s propelling the milling industry into the 21st century with an emphasis on innovation in a broad array of areas from nutrition and farmer relationships to plant design and safety.

Meeting increasing customer demand for grain-based foods, the mill has been serving northern and central California businesses and communities for nearly half a century, sourcing locally and regionally grown hard wheat from fields around Sacramento, Fresno and the Central/San Joaquin Valley.