History

Ardent Mills was born out of a long history of community mills coming together. We are an independent joint venture by combining ConAgra Mills™ and Horizon Milling® and we have over 150 years of rich milling history. Our history is tied to the legacies of the individual mills and facilities that form us, and we’re proud to look towards the future with an appreciation of the past.



Timeline Back
1867
1919
1922
1929
1931
1938
1941
1942
1944
1957
1965
1969
1971
1972
1974
1982
1983
1984
1989
1991
1992
1994
1995
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2011
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2019
2020
2021
2022
1867

1867

With a newly constructed steam-powered mill in Grand Island, Nebraska, Henry Koenig and Frederick Wiebe form State Central Flouring Mill. The business is later sold to Henry Glade and renamed Henry Glade Milling Company.

1919

1919

Four Nebraska flour mills – Henry Glade Milling Company, Ravenna Mills, Hastings Mills and Blackburn-Fury Mills – consolidate and incorporate as Nebraska Consolidated Mills, headquartered in Grand Island, Nebraska.

1922

1922

Seeking better access to grain markets and rail networks, the company moves its headquarters to Omaha, Nebraska.

1929

1929

North Pacific Grain Growers (NPGG) is formed in Lewiston, Idaho.

1931

1931

Farmers Union Central Exchange is formed in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1938

1938

GTA is formed in St. Paul, Minnesota

1941

1941

Nebraska Consolidated Mills expands outside Nebraska, building a new flour mill in Decatur, Alabama, in 1941.

1942

1942

GTA acquires Amber Milling Company.

1944

1944

Harvest States Milling Co acquires Amber Milling Company in Rush City, Minnesota.

1957

1957

The first expansion outside of the continental U.S. begins with the construction of the Molinos de Puerto Rico feed, flour and corn-milling complex in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

1965

1965

Nebraska Consolidated Mills forms a joint venture feed mill in La Coruña, Spain.

1969

1969

A national presence is established with the acquisition of Montana Flour Mills Company.

1971

1971

Nebraska Consolidated Mills shareholders officially approve a new name: ConAgra, Latin for “with the land”.

1972

1972

Cargill acquired two Burrus Mills, Inc. flour mills in Texas.

1974

1974

Cargill acquired three Ross Industries, Inc. flour mills in Kansas.

1982

1982

ConAgra acquires the Peavey Company, becoming the largest publicly held grain merchandiser.

Cargill acquires the domestic flour milling operations of Seaboard Allied Milling Corp, with mills in Albany and Buffalo, New York; Culpeper, Virginia; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Port Allen, Louisiana; Topeka, Kansas; and Jacksonville, Florida.

1983

1983

NPGG and GTA merge to form Harvest States Cooperatives.

1984

1984

Cargill acquires Hubbard Milling Co., in Mankato, Minnesota.

1989

1989

Cargill builds a new flour mill in San Bernadino, California.

Harvest States Milling Co. enters into a joint venture with Miller Milling Co., giving it control of the Huron, Ohio mill.

1991

1991

Cargill acquires four Pillsbury Co. flour mills in Los Angeles, California; Lake City, Minnesota; Ogden, Utah; and Springfield, Illinois.

1992

1992

Cargill builds a new flour mill in Stockton, California.

1994

1994

Harvest States Milling Co. dissolves its partnership with Miller Milling, leaving it with ownership of Huron, Ohio and Rush City, Minnesota mills.

1995

1995

Harvest States Milling Co. begins Kenosha, Wisconsin operations.

1997

1997

Harvest States Milling Co. begins Houston, Texas operations.

1998

1998

Cargill leases the Italgrani flour mill in Ayer, Massachusetts.

Harvest States Cooperatives and Cenex, Inc. merge to form CHS Cooperatives.

1999

1999

ConAgra Foods introduces Sustagrain®, the highest fiber whole grain commercially available. A unique variety of barley, Sustagrain delivers three times the fiber of oats, and 10 times the fiber of brown rice.

Harvest Milling Co. begins Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania operations.

2000

2000

Harvest Milling Co. acquires the Fairmount, North Dakota plant from Dakota Valley Mills.

2001

2001

Cargill Flour Milling and Harvest States Milling announce their intent to form a limited liability company combining their flour milling businesses.

2002

2002

Horizon Milling, LLC is officially formed on January 11, 2002.

2003

2003

CHS Cooperatives is officially renamed CHS Inc.

2004

2004

ConAgra Foods launches UltraGrain® – the whole wheat flour with the taste, texture and mainstream appeal of white flour – and revolutionizes whole wheat foods in grocery stores and foodservice.

2005

2005

Horizon Milling introduces GrainWise™ Wheat Aleurone to help manufacturers add whole wheat nutrition to foods.

Horizon Milling introduces WheatSelect® white spring whole wheat flour to help manufacturers better formulate whole wheat nutrition into foods.

The ConAgra Mills brand is established to differentiate the milling business from ConAgra Foods’ other commercial businesses.

2006

2006

Horizon Milling G.P. is formed to purchase the grain-based foodservice and industrial businesses of Smucker Foods of Canada Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the J.M. Smucker Company and licenses the rights to Smucker’s Robin Hood® brand for use in Canadian foodservice and industrial channels.

2007

2007

ConAgra Mills introduces Ancient Grains™ – amaranth, quinoa, sorghum, millet, teff and custom multigrain blends – to meet changing consumer needs and continue its tradition of innovation.

2011

2011

Horizon Milling refreshes brand identity to set a firm, confident foundation for future growth with its customers.

2013

MARCH 2013

Ardent Mills is publicly announced as a proposed joint venture between ConAgra Foods, Cargill and CHS.

MAY 2013

We announce the Ardent Mills Way, our vision and values, recognizing that we are united by our passion to nourish our customers with the highest quality ingredients.

JULY 2013

The journey continues when we announce Denver, Colorado as the Ardent Mills future headquarters.

2014

MAY 29, 2014

Ardent Mills’ opening celebrates the many parts coming together to make a stronger whole. Fields of possibility lie ahead of our employees, customers and communities.

2015

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Ardent Mills joined Field to Market®: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture as an associate member. As a leading multi-stakeholder initiative, Field to Market is working to unite the agricultural supply chain in defining, measuring and advancing sustainability in U.S. food, fiber and fuel production.

JULY 29, 2015

Ardent Mills showcased our one-of-a-kind bakery and newly-named Innovative Bakery Resources (IBR) plant in Tualatin on July 29 with an open house.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Having announced our intent on August 20, Ardent Mills, shared on September 1 that we have finalized the deal to purchase the Mondelēz Canada flour mill located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Leading the way to meet growing customer and consumer demand, Ardent Mills announced a new organic initiative committed to helping U.S. wheat growers double organic wheat acres by 2019.

2016

MAY 2016

The Ardent Mills Innovation Center, a culinary, R&D and product development support center with lab-size test mills, a wheat quality lab and a product evaluation bakery, opens in Denver, Colorado.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Ardent Mills announces Simply Milled™, a line of clean label flours with no bleach, bromate or other additives.

2017

JANUARY 19, 2017

Ardent Mills joins Partners in Food Solutions™ as a corporate sponsor to strengthen Africa’s ability to feed its growing population.

MARCH 9, 2017

Ardent Mills introduces Great Plains Quinoa™. Ardent Mills brings predictable pricing and certainty of supply with North American grown quinoa.

MARCH 2017

Women of Wheat (WOW) Employee Resource Group is formed. WOW fosters an equitable and inclusive environment through education, networking, and career development that supports the growth and success of women across Ardent Mills.

2019

JULY 2019

Ardent Mills furthers commitment to organic and specialty grain sourcing by acquiring grain elevator in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

AUGUST 2019

Women in Technology (WiT) Employee Resource Group is formed. WiT supports women at every stage of their career through connection, inspiration, sharing experiences, and development opportunities in an inclusive and collaborative environment.

2019

Ardent Mills successfully led the way to meet growing industry demand for organic flour with our Organic Initiative 2019, which assisted U.S. wheat growers in doubling organic wheat acres.

2020

FEBRUARY 2020

Ardent Mills acquires Andean Naturals' quinoa operations in Yuba City, California, allowing Ardent Mills to offer a complete solution for quinoa and other gluten-free ingredients.

JULY 2020

Ardent Mills announces new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program to expand on the company’s sustainability initiatives as part of its continued commitment to positively impact the environment and local communities.  

SEPTEMBER 2020

Black Excellence at Ardent Mills (BEAM) Employee Resource Group is formed. BEAM works to improve the community within the Ardent Mills family by recruiting diverse employees, providing support and resources to ensure their retention and professional growth, which in turn will create an environment that embraces and celebrates the culture of our black team members. BEAM aims to educate, inspire, and invigorate Ardent Mills and its African American, African Ancestry, Black and culturally identifying employees.

2021

MARCH 2021

Spectrum LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group is formed. Spectrum strives to cultivate a community that is welcoming to all and is equal, inclusive, and diverse for all team members to feel safe, heard, and embraced.

JUNE 2021

Ardent Mills acquires substantially all of the assets of Hinrichs Trading Company (HTC), the North American leader in chickpea sourcing, cleaning and packaging.

JULY 2021

Ardent Mills announces the implementation of Ardent Mills Assist in its facilities across North America. The ready-to-go mixed reality solution, built using Microsoft HoloLens 2 technology, allows Ardent Mills experts to quickly and remotely consult with customers, and increase speed to resolution.

DECEMBER 2021

Ardent Mills acquires substantially all the business assets of Firebird Artisan Mills, a leading gluten-free, specialty grain and pulse milling company. 

2022

MARCH 2022

Ardent Mills opens brand-new state-of-the-art Port Redwing Mill in Gibsonton, Florida. The mill builds upon Ardent Mills’ strategic growth plan by strengthening supply chain agility, increasing efficiency and product consistency, and expanding the ability to meet customer needs.

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