COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 311211

Flour Milling

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

36companies1897–1998founding years36still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedIAWS Group plc
1897
FoundedRanks Hovis McDougall Limited
1899
FoundedChelsea Milling CompanyFoundedThe Quaker Oats Company
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedNisshin Seifun Group Inc.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedSan Miguel Corporation
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedCSM N.V.
1919
FoundedArcher-Daniels-Midland Company
1923
FoundedGeneral Mills, Inc.FoundedSeaboard Corporation
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedCargill, Incorporated
1936
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedPPB Group Berhad
1948
FoundedCJ Corporation
1953
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
FoundedGruma, S.A. de C.V.FoundedSadia S.A.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedPenford Corporation
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedGoodman Fielder Ltd.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedCHS Inc.
1998
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

IAWS Group plc →
Active · founded 1897 · Ireland
From its late 19th-century origins in Ireland's cooperative movement, IAWS Group plc has grown into a leading food…
IAWS Group plc →
Active · founded 1897 · Ireland
From its late 19th-century origins in Ireland's cooperative movement, IAWS Group plc has grown into a leading food…
Ranks Hovis McDougall Limited →
Active · founded 1899 · United Kingdom
Ranks Hovis McDougall Limited (RHM) is the food division of Tomkins PLC, which acquired the company (then known as…
Ranks Hovis McDougall Limited →
Active · founded 1899 · United Kingdom
Ranks Hovis McDougall Limited (RHM) is the food division of Tomkins PLC, which acquired the company (then known as…
Chelsea Milling Company →
Active · founded 1901
The Chelsea Milling Company is the number four maker of prepackaged baking mixes in the United States.
Chelsea Milling Company →
Active · founded 1901
The Chelsea Milling Company is the number four maker of prepackaged baking mixes in the United States.
The Quaker Oats Company →
Active · founded 1901
The product of a rocky union between three 19th-century millers, The Quaker Oats Company maintains a portfolio of…
The Quaker Oats Company →
Active · founded 1901
The product of a rocky union between three 19th-century millers, The Quaker Oats Company maintains a portfolio of…
Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1908 · Japan
Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., formerly Nisshin Flour Milling Company, operates as a holding company with subsidiaries…
Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1908 · Japan
Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., formerly Nisshin Flour Milling Company, operates as a holding company with subsidiaries…
San Miguel Corporation →
Active · founded 1913 · Philippines
Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.
San Miguel Corporation →
Active · founded 1913 · Philippines
Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.
CSM N.V. →
Active · founded 1919 · Netherlands
CSM N.V.
CSM N.V. →
Active · founded 1919 · Netherlands
CSM N.V.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company →
Active · founded 1923
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) is one of the world's leading processors and distributors of agricultural products…
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company →
Active · founded 1923
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) is one of the world's leading processors and distributors of agricultural products…
General Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
General Mills, Inc.
General Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
General Mills, Inc.
Seaboard Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
1960s-70s:Company builds flour mills in eastern and southeastern United States.
Seaboard Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
1960s-70s:Company builds flour mills in eastern and southeastern United States.
Cargill, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1936
Cargill, Incorporated is the largest private corporation in the United States.
Cargill, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1936
Cargill, Incorporated is the largest private corporation in the United States.
PPB Group Berhad →
Active · founded 1948 · Malaysia
One of Malaysia's largest companies, and one of the largest conglomerates in the ASEAN market region, PPB Group Berhad…
PPB Group Berhad →
Active · founded 1948 · Malaysia
One of Malaysia's largest companies, and one of the largest conglomerates in the ASEAN market region, PPB Group Berhad…
CJ Corporation →
Active · founded 1953 · South Korea
South Korea's largest food manufacturer, CJ Corporation, is also one of the world's leading producers of such food…
CJ Corporation →
Active · founded 1953 · South Korea
South Korea's largest food manufacturer, CJ Corporation, is also one of the world's leading producers of such food…
Gruma, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1971 · Mexico
Gruma, S.A.
Gruma, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1971 · Mexico
Gruma, S.A.
Sadia S.A. →
Active · founded 1971 · Brazil
Sadia S.A.
Sadia S.A. →
Active · founded 1971 · Brazil
Sadia S.A.
Penford Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Penford Corporation develops, produces, and markets specialty natural-based ingredients for industrial and food…
Penford Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Penford Corporation develops, produces, and markets specialty natural-based ingredients for industrial and food…
Goodman Fielder Ltd. →
Active · founded 1986 · Australia
Goodman Fielder Ltd.
Goodman Fielder Ltd. →
Active · founded 1986 · Australia
Goodman Fielder Ltd.
CHS Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
CHS Inc.
CHS Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
CHS Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a flour milling company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.