CANADA – Leading flour supplier, Ardent Mills has agreed to sell its ingredient mix facility in Burlington, Ontario to Dawn Food Products Inc., a global bakery ingredient manufacturer and distributor.
Dawn will take over ownership of the facility while Ardent Mills will continue to supply it with flour to serve the sweet ingredients business.
The Burlington facility makes a variety of mixes, including bread, brownie, cake, cookie, Danish, donut, muffins, pie crust and pizza dough serving the industrial, institutional and wholesale markets.
“This mutually beneficial acquisition allows us to step away from sweet ingredient mixes and concentrate on flour and savory mixes,” said Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills.
“Our team members and customers in Canada will be well taken care of by Dawn and we are committed to a smooth transition.”
The divestment allows Ardent Mills to focus on its core business, supplying flour and specialty products for the bakery industries.
The deal which was expected to close will also see Ardent Mills expand its capabilities in bakery ingredients for the Canadian market.
Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, Dawn Foods has established itself as the premier bakery ingredients provider serving artisanal bakeries, supermarket bakeries, foodservice operations, and baked goods manufacturers.
“The acquisition of Ardent Mills’ Burlington plant will provide increased access to our industry-leading products for our Canadian customers,” said Carrie Jones-Barber, the chief executive officer of Dawn Foods.
“As we continue to focus our business on bakery ingredients, expanding our capabilities in Canada allows us to deliver our targeted insights, innovations, products, and bakery expertise to even more bakeries across the country, empowering them to achieve their aspirations.”
This comes after Ardent Mills said it is closing four of its US flour mills to enhance operational efficiency.
Located in Georgia; Minnesota; Ohio; and Pennsylvania, the mills have a combined milling capacity of 23,600 cwts.
