— The case for whole grain

A 50-pound bag of wheat berries will keep five years in a sealed pail. A bag of flour won't make it through summer.

That's the whole pitch. The germ goes rancid within weeks of being milled — which is why supermarket flour has the germ removed, and why supermarket "whole wheat" is mostly bran sprinkled back in.

We carry the berries themselves. Local where we can — Benco's Red Fife grows forty minutes from our front door. Imported where the variety demands it. Always intact, always recent harvest, always sold by the pound or the bag, never the ounce.

Browse the mills →

— SOURCING
Benco Farms
Plum Coulee · 8 km
·
DeRuyck's
Pembina Valley · Organic
·
Daybreak Mill
Estevan, SK · Certified org.
·
Grain Millers
Yorkton, SK · Heritage
In stock

Every grain
we keep.

All available in 50lb bags. Smaller quantities (5lb, 10lb) on request — call ahead and we'll repack from the bin.

A short guide

What grain
for what loaf.

The shorthand we use at the counter. Not rules — just the place to start. Most of these grains cross over with no apology.

— Hearth loaves & sourdough

Red Fife, Hard Red Spring, Spelt

High-protein wheats with the gluten development a long ferment needs. Red Fife runs more rustic and nuanced; Hard Red goes higher rise. Spelt asks for gentler hands — it tears easier.

— Pastry, pancakes, soft tender crumb

Soft White Wheat, Kamut

Lower protein, softer texture. Soft White makes a tender pastry; Kamut gives you a buttery, almost golden flavour. Don't try to push these into a high-hydration sourdough — they'll fight you.

— Rye breads, pumpernickel, crisp breads

Whole Rye

Mill coarse for pumpernickel, fine for a tighter loaf. Rye has almost no gluten — blend with hard wheat if you want any height, or commit to a dense, deeply flavoured rye and don't fight it.

— Porridge, blinis, gluten-free baking

Buckwheat, Quinoa, Amaranth

Not wheat. Don't expect bread behaviour. Buckwheat groats roast beautifully before milling. Quinoa needs a rinse to lose the saponin coat. Amaranth is best as a small percentage in a blend.

— Storage

Keep them dry, cool, and in the bag they came in.

Whole grain berries last 3–5 years in a sealed food-grade pail at room temperature, longer in a chest freezer. The moment you mill, the clock starts — fresh flour wants to be used within 48 hours, or frozen and used within three months. That's it. Whole grain is not a fussy crop.

— A clean pail

5-gallon food-grade
pail + gamma lid.

Holds one 50lb bag with a little room. We sell empty pails at the front counter for $14 — bring your own and we'll fill it for free.

Visit the store →
— You'll want one of these

A 50-pound bag of berries deserves its own mill.

Pre-ground flour ages the moment it leaves the stones. Whole grain stays alive in the bag and turns into bread on demand. The mill is the half of the equation we sometimes forget to mention.

Browse grain mills →
Bestseller

Komo Fidibus XL Plus

$1,799.99
Compact

Komo Mio

$679.99