The Andersons, Inc. Grain Group in 2017 purchased Purity Foods, Inc., an organic and conventional ancient grains processor in Hudson, Michigan, U.S. The Andersons, Maumee, Ohio, U.S., now offers an ancient grains portfolio that includes amaranth, buckwheat, einkorn, emmer, Kamut, millet, quinoa, sorghum, spelt and teff, said Andy Vollmar, director, food ingredients and specialty ingredients for The Andersons.

“The Andersons has been a trusted partner in the food ingredients industry for many years,” he said. “We work with our customers on very specific requests to procure high-quality ingredients directly from the farm and process them into an ingredient form that will perform optimally in a specific application. As the popularity and demand for specialty ingredients like ancient grains has grown, we feel our experience, capabilities and geographic footprint make us an ideal partner for both growers and end users in the industry.”

Western Foods, LLC, Woodland, California, U.S., in 2017 expanded its gluten-free rice flour and ancient grain milling business by acquiring property in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S. Rising freight rates were making it more difficult for Western Foods to ship from California into the Midwest and the East coast, said Tom Andringa, head of sales and business development.

“Logistically, we needed to be centered in the middle of the country for freight purposes,” Andringa said.

This year Bay State Milling, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S., began remodeling its Rothwell GrainEssentials Center in Quincy. The center will be expanded to include a collaborative work area designed to support the company’s expansion into varietal development and unique plant-based ingredients. The new space will align people from the product applications, product development, cultivar development, quality assurance and marketing groups. In addition, the remodeled space will include an expanded analytical and rheology lab along with a grain cleaning and milling room. A bake lab to support analytical test baking is part of the expansion.

“Ancient grains deliver diverse flavor profiles and pose functionality challenges for bakers and manufacturers,” said Donna Reiser, marketing communications manager. “To meet those challenges, our trained sensory panel meets regularly to remain calibrated, and our applications team is devoted to on-trend application and formulation development for all of our ancient grains and blends, including gluten-free products.”