The history of Wholegrain Milling and the team behind it ... |
In the early 1980ís Wendy Neale became frustrated with continually suffering from allergies associated with food and with flour in particular, she decided to take matters into her own hands and start making her own natural organic stoneground wholemeal flour. "I began milling organic grain in our kitchen and I decided there would be others that could benefit from organic grains" says Wendy Neale.
Wholegrain Milling continues today as it started, as a supplier of nutritious, natural, ethical and sustainable healthy food to those who want a different option from the chemically processed foods on which our society has come to rely. Wendy Neale and her husband Harry Neale continue today, 25 years on, as Directors of Wholegrain Milling, with their son Craig Neale in charge of production.
Wholegrain Milling Company remains a family owned business specialising in the highest quality 100% stone-ground Organic Flours milled from grains that are grown, stored and milled without the use of artificial chemicals.
The best organic grains available are obtained from farms throughout the heart of Australia's prime hard grain belt, in order to meet not only Wholegrain’s own high standards but also the rigorous demands of the organic certification organisations.
From a small cottage industry scale of production, Wholegrain’s products have gained acceptance in the market place on a scale that has seen the company grow into a strong and financially healthy business, with a modern premises outfitted with efficient machinery. However the heart of the operation still lies in the artisan made specialised stone milling equipment that Harry Neale and Craig Neale have designed and built themselves.
In 2007 Wholegrain expanded by taking on a complementary and exciting business, Demeter Farm Mill. Demeter Farm Mill is a long established supplier of quality Bio-Dynamic and organic products for the food industry. It has enabled Wholegrain to provide customers with a much larger range of smaller packaged Bio-Dynamic and organic products (organic seeds, pulses, fruit, nuts, pasta and porridge and muesli mixes) which complements the Wholegrain Milling traditional range of grains and flours.
Wholegrain’s products are carefully stone-ground using imported European millstones. All the germ, bran and endosperm of the wholegrain - along with the vitamins and minerals - are retained and distributed evenly throughout the stone-milled flour. The vitamin-rich wheat germ oil is released into the flour, colouring and flavouring it slightly. It is the wheat germ that is retained during the stone milling process which produces the characteristic "nutty" real wheat flavour in WHOLEWHEAT flour and the aroma which is unmistakable. Stone-milling produces flour with the texture that only a stone-miller with the traditional, time-honoured skills of a true artisan can produce.
The Company is one of the very few Multi-certified Organic Stone Grinding Mills in Australia and its grain products are guaranteed to comply with the highest international standards of organic certification. We have achieved the status of certified organic processor through the following AQIS registered organisations: National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia Ltd (NASAA) (accredited by IFOAM: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA), Bio-Dynamic Research Institute (Demeter Brand). This multiple certification allows us to offer our customers a wide range of grain products of the highest quality.
All grains are freshly milled, ensuring the highest quality flours for our discerning clients, who pass on the health benefits reaped from the complex carbohydrates, fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals of 100% Stone-ground Flour to their customers, in the products they produce.
We take pride in meeting the demands that flow from recognition as one of the leading Certified Organic stone-mills in Australia.