Our Family Story

How Our Mill Works

The way Hodgson Mill grinds grains today is not much different from the way it was back in 1882. We still mill the grain with stones, in a classic, time-honored way, retaining all of the healthy nutrients and wonderful flavor found in genuine stone ground, whole grain foods.

Stone Ground Goodness - How It Happens

Our whole grain foods start with only the very best grains. Our grain buyers seek out the highest No. 1 grade wheat, oats, rye, corn and other grains available on the market. Once it arrives at Hodgson Mill, the grain is cleaned twice before grinding. Cleaning involves the use of 1) a "separator" machine, which removes chaff, stalks and other plant material that remains after harvesting; and 2) an air-powered "aspirator" which takes out dust and any light and broken kernels: Only the plumpest, ripest grain berries make it through.

Next stop for the grain is the wheels of our millstones, cut and shaped specifically for milling from genuine North Carolina red granite. The grains flow gently down into the top of the mill and, in one simple operation, are ground between two stones into delicious whole grain flours and corn meals. This type of milling ensures that the grain’s nutritious germ, bran and natural oils are fully preserved. Stone-milling also gives the flour a distinct texture that makes your baked products more interesting, with greater eye-and-mouth appeal.

From there, the freshly ground grain goes directly to the packing line for one of our premium whole grain flours and meals, or is delivered right into mixers to be made into our delicious bread mixes, hot cereals, or other fine products. This immediate use of the milled grains gives our customers the freshest possible products ~ We call it our "Just in Time" production process.

Why Stone Grinding Matters

Hodgson Mill's products are considered premium quality because of the top-notch grains we use, as well as our special stone milling techniques. Each of our five stone mills produces only about 800 pounds of whole grain product an hour. That's not a lot when you compare us to giant commodity mills, but sometimes less is better. We take satisfaction in giving you, our customer, the best we can, and sometimes that just means taking a little more time.