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From Agrilicious to Tokio
The quality of Barton Springs Mill flours is a direct result of the tireless work of our farmers. It is vital to us to use as many crops as possible grown within the state of Texas. Without our farmer partners, our mill would not exist.
What we love most about our farmers is that they showed up for us before we even existed. When BSM was only an idea in James’ mind, he found 30 organic grain farmers on agrilicious.com. Ten agreed to meet with him. He toured the state, driving to farms from Amarillo to Tokio, talking with each farmer and learning about the land. To his full surprise, all agreed to work with him on this non-existent business—more farmers than he needed, in fact.
James chose two, knowing they would produce well more than he could handle for that first growing season. A third farmer insisted he be included, too. James agreed to give him some seed, but certainly not to buy any finished crop. Come harvest, the cream of the crop came from 78-year-old Ralph Hoelscher of Miles, Texas. The insistent one, of course. James bought the entire crop.
Since our early relationships with farmers like Henry Martens, Todey Menix, and Aaron Vogler, to the new partnerships we’re forming with Kameron Koepp, Jim Richardson, and Leo and Zach Thrasher, we have seen first hand the labor and risks of farming. These people get up earlier than we do and they work harder than we do, all on crops that may or may not work in their soil. We all learn through the process. High protein wheats? Those are going to Ralph, whose land, for whatever reason, pumps up the protein on any wheat he plants. He is the talent behind TAM105, a go-to for our pro bakers for its consistency and price. Henry’s land excels with Sonora soft wheat and Danko rye. Grown in sandy loam, Rouge de Bordeaux tastes like beige. Moved to Kameron Koepp’s heavy clay soil, this terroir-dependant varietal offers exuberant notes of cinnamon, molasses, and baking spices.
Todey Menix- Lamesa, TX