Kevin Morse, Cairnspring Mills — Building the Craft Flour Category at Scale

Most flour today is milled for shelf life, not flavor or nutrition. Cairnspring Mills set out to flip that script. Co-founder & CEO Kevin Morse explains how the company created a premium craft flour category by contracting regeneratively grown, higher-margin grains directly from farmers and stone-milling to retain flavor and nutrients, winning over top chefs and bakeries nationwide. We cover the growth story ($5.1M → $6.4M → pacing $7.9M), why demand is pulling them to expand capacity, and the plan to build a dramatically larger mill in Pendleton, OR (with the Umatilla Tribe) as part of a future network of regional mills. Kevin breaks down how “regional at scale” works (quality, resilience, and local grain identity), the sales playbook (foodservice-led; DTC and retail ramp), and opportunities in co-branded “Milled by Cairnspring” products. If you care about better bread—and better agricultural economics—this is a blueprint for rebuilding a staple industry.Highlights include…Why industrial roller milling strips flavor & nutrition—and how stone milling restores both Direct farmer contracts, regenerative practices, and paying for milling/baking quality (not just protein) Growth: $5.1M (2023) → $6.4M (2024) → ~$7.9M (2025E) Capacity expansion: Pendleton, OR mill (with Umatilla Tribe) targeting ~110M lbs/yr Long-term vision: distributed network of regional mills (CapEx ≈ $40M per mill + granary) Go-to-market: foodservice first (~80%), plus DTC, retail, and co-brand opportunities Influencer flywheel: chef/baker adoption (e.g., Bianco, Tartine) → organic demand