The Mill

Behind the time-honored technique of traditional stone milling.

Long before Bob’s Red Mill was the leading name in wholesome foods across the country, there was a book and the aspiration to help people, one whole grain product at a time.

The Red Mill’s Beginnings

Bob's journey began in the mid '60s after coming across a book about an old stone-grinding flour mill. Unable to shake his vision of operating a flour mill that provided wholesome and nutritious food, Bob tirelessly searched for his own set of usable millstones. With a little time and persistence, Bob and his wife found several sets of millstones and began their first mill in Redding, California.

In 1978 the couple left the mill and retired to Oregon City, but fate stepped in one afternoon when Bob came across an old mill that was for sale in nearby Milwaukie, Oregon. A few months later, Bob’s new mill was producing stone ground flours and cereals for local customers.

They enjoyed much success until 1988, when an arsonist’s fire tragically destroyed the building. Never one to back away from a challenge, Bob worked to build the business again from scratch, creating the Bob’s Red Mill you know and love today.

Preserving Nutrition Through Tradition

To make superb whole grain flour, no modern technology can match the Old World engineering of a stone mill. Our beautiful stone grinding mills are much like the ones used during early Roman times. These quartz millstones ensure the most nutritious parts of the whole grain remain, so we can pack wholesome goodness right into your bag.

Our millstones grind at a slow speed and cool temperature, creating nutritious, quality foods that are minimally processed, just as nature intended. For optimal freshness, store our whole grain flours and meals in a cool, dry place. They keep best refrigerated or frozen after opening.

Our Whole Grain Store

Bob’s “life’s desire” was to create a mill store, bakery and restaurant modeled after a traditional red mill—an homage to the original Bob’s Red Mill, which was lost to a fire in 1988—complete with working waterwheel. Now tens of thousands of people flock to our Whole Grain Store, Bakery & Restaurant every year to shop Bob's Red Mill products and merchandise, groceries, and products from local purveyors. Our restaurant serves up breakfast and lunch seven days a week, and our bakery produces delicious cookies, bread, muffins and more.

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Stone Milling

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The Mill

The Red Mill’s Beginnings

Preserving Nutrition Through Tradition

Our Whole Grain Store

Stone Milling

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Meet Bob & Charlee

Whole Grains

Gluten Free