The Salisbury Mill

Grant Amount: $66,000

Region: Queensland

Delivered by: Food Connect Foundation

Year funded: 2022

Project status: Complete

The Challenge

In most parts of the country there is no locally grown and milled regenerative flour available. When flour is grown and processed in different locations across Australia and the world, supply chains are more vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks.

During the pandemic, flour, like many products at the time, was flying off the shelves of supermarkets and grocery stores so fast that they were running out. Simultaneously, artisanal bakers across the country were exploring how they could use unique grains, including native grains, to create innovative products.

The Innovation

Sustainable Table has enabled Brisbane’s first community-scale flour mill to find a home at Food Connect Shed. The Salisbury Mill is reviving an old craft, processing organic and native grains into fresh whole flours to meet growing demand from local bakers and households.

The project’s key objectives were:

• Demonstrate a community-scale milling operation, which will be documented and shared across regional communities who are ready to join us in creating resilient food systems across the nation.
• Provide a previously unavailable and key raw material of freshly milled, regeneratively grown grains to existing and expanding local markets across Food Connect Shed’s tenants, wholesale and retail delivery clients.
• Complement the Food Connect Shed replication model as a place-based, multi-farmer, aggregation, distribution, and marketing social enterprise. It will provide direct markets for local farmers in South East Queensland’s bioregion.

Why did Sustainable Table fund this project?

The project addresses identified community needs and with Food Connect Foundation’s strong track record, the mill will benefit from solid community connections and leadership. The team behind it has proven themselves as visionaries and leaders in their region, with expertise in both food production and community engagement. Mentorship from experienced millers, Ian & Courtney from Woodstock Flour, has positioned the project for success.

Enabling this project is crucial for transforming our food systems. Without avenues to bring regeneratively produced products to market, many farmers will struggle. The project aims to establish local connections between producers, processors, and grain users, addressing urgent needs within our food system.

What were the outcomes of this project?

This project has been completed and you can read all about the story behind the Salisbury Mill here.

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