Ardent Mills is on track to acquire substantially all the business assets of Firebird Artisan Mills, a gluten-free, specialty grain and pulse milling company that is part of the operating holding company, Agspring.

The move comes as part of Ardent Mills’ continued focus on emerging nutrition, building upon its existing wheat flour and plant-forward business. 

The parties expect the deal to close by the end of the year. 

Gluten-free space evolves
Firebird Artisan Mills has a broad portfolio of gluten-free, organic and non-GMO products and a certified gluten-free facility in Harvey, North Dakota, US.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Shrene White, general manager at The Annex by Ardent Mills at Ardent Mills, says the gluten-free and specialty market is growing and shows no signs of slowing down. 

Firebird Artisan Mills has a portfolio of gluten-free, organic and non-GMO products and a dedicated, certified gluten-free facility located in North Dakota, US.“In fact, we continue to see significant growth as consumers look to foods that align with their values, dietary needs and wants. Firebird has one of the largest portfolios of gluten-free, organic and non-GMO products in North America and helps establish Ardent Mills as a complete solutions partner to our customers in the grains and specialty ingredient space. It also bolsters our capabilities as part of our focus on emerging nutrition.”

The demand for gluten-free grains has continued to grow, White notes. “In fact, the global gluten-free baking mixes market size is projected to reach US$698.2 million by 2028. That’s growing at a CAGR of 7.5% from 2021 to 2028.”

Upon completion, the deal will allow Ardent Mills to help customers meet growing consumer demand for gluten-free and specialty flours, she adds. 

“Specifically, this acquisition brings several key assets to bear for Ardent Mills. First, it will provide an integrated supply and manufacturing capabilities in the gluten-free product space. It will also ensure we can provide our customers with enhanced gluten-free flours and mixes, supply chain assurance and access to the industry’s leading R&D, technical and quality assurance experts,” White continues. 

“It also helps us have an even stronger marketplace connection in the gluten-free and specialty spaces that will help our family farms get their gluten-free grains to the market faster.”

Specialty ingredient solutions 
The acquisition will allow Ardent Mills to provide its customers with additional specialty ingredient solutions and the latest products, services and innovations in milling and blending. 

“Firebird Artisan Mills has been a collaborative and well-established partner of ours in the gluten-free and specialty ingredients space since the formation of Ardent Mills. They have proven over time that they go beyond for their customers,” says Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills. 

“They also share similar values and commitment to safety and innovation, which is why this expected acquisition makes sense.”

The intended acquisition will enhance customers’ access to gluten-free flours, mixes, blends and specialty grain products; provide additional supply chain assurance; and add other capabilities to the Ardent Mills’ R&D, technical, food safety and quality assurance teams. Shrene White, general manager at The Annex by Ardent Mills at Ardent Mills, says the gluten-free and specialty market is growing and shows no signs of slowing down.

“Ardent Mills shares the same strong food safety and quality assurance values as us. These are just a few reasons why we believe that Ardent Mills is the right fit to take Firebird to the next level of growth,” adds Mark Beemer, CEO of Agspring. 

Upon closing, this will be another step in Ardent Mills’ commitment to the future of emerging nutrition. 

“Ardent Mills continues to assess how we can best serve our customers, their consumers and our capabilities to do so. If an opportunity makes sense, we may make capital investments in our facilities. An example of this is in May 2019, we added capabilities to our Denver RiNo community mill to clean and pack specialty grains,” White concludes. 

In June, the company completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Hinrichs Trading Company, a North American player in chickpea sourcing, cleaning and packaging. The move from the company comes as the plant-forward trend continues to gather speed.