Miller Magazine Issue: 124 April 2020

71 INTERVIEW MILLER / APRIL 2020 couple of decades, but we continue to see a demand for the products to which we supply flour- crackers, cookies, pretzels, cakes, and biscuits. The numbers for flour consumption we see don’t reflect the oversized media attention these diets garner. In the recent past, there has been a push for higher whole grain flour consumption by health professionals, but we haven’t seen a large increase in whole grain consumption. Flour based foods tend to be a part of comfort dishes. Flour is also a good value, high nutrient food, so in times of trouble, like the awful Coronavirus covid-19 pandem- ic, we are proud to be producing a food product that provides a good source of calories, has a relatively long shelf life, and is very affordable. What are the major challenges for the American flour milling industry today? Government regulations have been steadily increasing over the past few years. Being in compliance with these regulations has not been terribly challenging, but finding the best ways to document that compliance and dealing with the increased paperwork is stressful. Customers are striving to stay ahead of the mandated regulations and we have seen customer audits increase. We are happy to open our doors to our customers. And we often receive exceptional superlatives, but an auditor doesn’t earn a paycheck from giving out compliments. Not unique to flour milling, but transportation costs and regulations are increasing causing more complica- tions to logistics. And the lengthening of payment terms by some customers is another business challenge. What are your future targets in your operating market? Our growth as a company has come through building relationships with customers and suppliers. I see our fu- ture growth happening similarly. What are your expectations from the machinery and technology supplier for the milling industry? In which areas do you need innovative solutions? I think we are looking for shared values at the core. We expect a commitment to continuous improvement and consistent customer service. We want to be treated how we treat others. We look for suppliers that are continuously working to innovate, improve learning, and adopt the best develop- ments of technology to the milling industry. We are look- ing for excellent service and support from experienced and knowledgeable technicians. Of course, staying on the cutting edge of computer and internet technology in the milling process is of great importance. Going back to consumer trends, the increased concern over the raw state of flour has us and I think others look- ing for an innovative solution around lowering the micro- bial count without changing the functionality of the flour.