Montana Gluten Free joins largest family-owned, privately held milling company
BELGRADE, Mont. — Bay State Milling, one of the largest family-owned, privately held milling companies in the United States, is proud to announce the addition of Bay State Milling Montana to its portfolio. This acquisition strengthens the company’s offerings of trusted, innovative food ingredients and is part of a strategic realignment that now includes 13 milling and processing facilities across the U.S. and Canada.
Walker Humphries, newly appointed Senior Vice President and General Manager of Oat Milling, will oversee the Montana facility. “We are thrilled to welcome Montana Gluten Free to the Bay State Milling family,” said Humphries. “This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to offering trusted, natural ingredients while connecting more closely with communities in this region.”
Bay State Milling assumes full ownership of the facility after partnering with Montana Gluten Free for several years. The Montana facility handles SowNaked® Mindfully Farmed Oats, a unique variety of non-GMO hulless oats with 40% more protein than traditional oats. Grown and processed according to gluten-free Purity Protocol, these oats are handled in a specialized supply chain to ensure less than five parts per million (ppm) of gluten—far below the FDA’s threshold of 20 ppm and the Gluten-Free Certification Organization’s standard of 10 ppm.
“This acquisition unlocks the next phase of growth for one of our most unique product lines,” said Ed Fish, Senior Vice President of Varietal Solutions whose team is responsible for identifying, developing and commercializing innovative crops for Bay State Milling, like SowNaked Oats. “We’re expanding our capacity for high-protein, gluten-free oats that adhere to the strictest standards— a key differentiator for our customers and their products. These oats also deliver exceptional taste and nutrition with a fraction of the environmental impact.”
Because this variety naturally lacks hulls—the outer shell of the oat plant—it requires less energy to process, resulting in 50% lower carbon emissions compared to traditional oats. Available as groats, flakes and flour, SowNaked Oats are used by Bay State Milling customers to produce nutritious, clean-label, and environmentally friendly gluten-free products like oatmeal, granola, bars, cereals, oat milk and baking mixes.
About Bay State Milling Company
For 125 years, Bay State Milling has been on a mission to increase access to nutritious, sustainable and accessible grain-based ingredients. As the largest privately held, family-owned miller in the United States, Bay State Milling operates 13 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The company’s broad portfolio of traditional and gluten-free flours, grains, seeds, mixes and blends are responsibly sourced and expertly processed to meet exacting specifications. This relentless pursuit to create a better food system has spanned five generations and continues to evolve as the way we eat changes. Bay State Milling has been named a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte for two consecutive years and received an honorable mention in Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards for its HealthSense® High-Fiber Wheat Flour. baystatemilling.com
