Ardent Mills to shut two US flour mills, Garbanzo bean plant also closing
The two mills have combined daily milling capacity of 12,800 cwts, including 7,000 cwts at the Omaha North mill and 5,800 cwts at the York, Pennsylvania, US, mill.
USA – Ardent Mills has announced it will close two US flour mills with a combined daily milling capacity of 12,800 cwts, including 7,000 cwts at Omaha North (Nebraska) and 5,800 cwts at York (Pennsylvania) as well as a garbanzo bean processing/packing facility in Steptoe, Washington.
The company confirmed the closures on November 4, saying operations will wind down through the rest of this year, with full permanent closure scheduled for January 2026. The two flour mills together represent more than 300 years of milling history in the United States.
Ardent Mills said the decisions “were not made lightly,” noting that the shutdowns reflect external market dynamics, including shifting industry conditions and competitive pressures.
The company said it will support affected employees with severance pay, career transition support, outplacement services, and will also attempt internal job relocation where possible.
The Omaha North mill, built in 1890, is one of the most historically significant industrial milling assets still in operation in the United States.
Originally founded as Omaha Milling Co., the mill was acquired multiple times over its lifecycle including by Updike Milling Co. in 1907 and Nebraska Consolidated Mills (which later became ConAgra) in 1922.
After surviving fire and a 1931 rebuild, the mill shifted between bakery flour and durum flour production before reverting back to bakery flour in 1996.
The York Pennsylvania mill dates back to 1831, originally built along the Codorus Creek and later famously known for being targeted by Confederate forces ahead of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The mill transitioned ownership several times over nearly two centuries, including modernization, the switch from stone milling to roller milling in the late 1800s, operation under Samuel W.
Hershey in the early 1900s, and eventual integration into ConAgra in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, the mill shifted its wheat sourcing profile from local soft wheat towards hard wheat transported from the Plains.
Garbanzo bean facility in Steptoe to close
The decision also affects Ardent Mills’ pulse portfolio, with the closure of the Steptoe, Washington garbanzo bean plant, which was one of five Hinrichs Trading Co. sites acquired in 2021.
The Steptoe facility processed both conventional and organic chickpeas. However, the company emphasized it is not exiting the segment, describing chickpeas as a long-term growth category and noting continued investment in pulses.
This closure announcement follows a broader capacity restructuring trend within Ardent Mills. The company closed its Mankato, Minnesota flour mill one year ago and, prior to that, had shuttered six mills in Louisiana, Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nebraska.
It also closed a Tampa mill and replaced it with a new site, and is currently upgrading and expanding its Commerce City mill in Colorado. Upon completion of the January closures, Ardent Mills will operate 28 flour mills in the United States and three in Canada.
Sign up to HERE receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.
