Janie's Mill

Harold Wilken had a problem he couldn't shake. He was watching tons of his certified organic wheat from Janie's Farm load onto a semi, headed 700 miles away to be processed — when millions of people who bake bread lived right nearby. It seemed absurd. So he did something about it.

In spring of 2017, he started stone-grinding grain from his own farm in Ashkum, Illinois. Janie's Mill was born. The mill was named after his daughter Janie, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 15. That loss is at the heart of what the company does — they describe being "led by Janie's spirit in everything we do."

The approach is direct: grow certified organic grain on Janie's Farm, mill it on-site using stone grinding, ship it to bakers. No middlemen, no industrial roller processing, no added chemicals. Their stone mill uses state-of-the-art Engsko equipment, and they carefully monitor stone temperature during milling to preserve the bran, germ, and the oils and proteins that conventional milling strips away.

The difference shows up in the baking. Janie's Mill flour consistently earns strong reviews from professional and home bakers alike — not because of marketing, but because stone-milled whole-grain flour genuinely behaves differently. More flavor, better texture, higher nutritional value. Their sifted flours still retain 70-90% of the whole kernel, even when they look like white flour.

The product range is extensive: wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, corn, and ancient grains like einkorn, emmer, and spelt. Whether you're making sourdough, cornbread, or pasta, there's probably a Janie's Mill flour built for it.

Products

• High-Protein Bread Flour
• Sifted Artisan Blend Bread Flour
• All-Purpose Flour
• Dark Rye Flour
• Einkorn Flour
• Emmer (Farro) Flour
• Spelt Flour
• Cornmeal and Polenta
• Whole grain oats and buckwheat
• Whole berry grains (for home milling) — Turkey Red Wheat, Rye, and others
• Sampler packs

Why We List Them

• Family-owned farm and mill — Harold Wilken grows and mills his own grain
• Mill founded in 2017 with zero outside investors; still independently operated
• Named after Harold's daughter — genuine personal stake in the product
• USDA Certified Organic and Kosher certified on every product
• Vertically integrated: farm → stone mill → directly to bakers
• No industrial roller milling, no enrichment additives
• Beloved by professional bakers and food writers for real performance, not branding