Grist Mill?

Mac AR · Oct 21, 2014

Been thinking about a little side business in addition to the farm - grinding cornmeal and selling. Don't know a whole lot about it. One of the wife's kin does it for themselves but is thinking of selling out and I think it'd be a nice little niche market for the area. Grow the corn, pick it, haul it home, and grind it up for meal. Maybe sell it at the farmers market/ local stores. Sounds easy, but I know better...

Does anybody do this? Would there be regulations on cornmeal ground at home? Appreciate any comments or advice.

Thanks,

Mac AR

JD Seller · Oct 21, 2014

I know absolutely ZERO about grist milling. I do know any type of business like that the biggest issue is marketing the finished product. Many can produce a product but selling it for any type of profit is the hard part.

ShadetreeRet · Oct 21, 2014

Rules and regulations vary from state to state. best thing to do would be contact your local Agricultural Extension Service, they should be able to tell you everything you need to know, including what types of corn to grow. A couple years ago I attended a seminar with my son-in-law concerning similar topics, they covered health laws for those who wanted to make and sell jams and jellies, baked goods, organic gardening, and many other subjects that many people never even consider about selling foodstuff.

Paul from MI · Oct 21, 2014

I make my own corm meal using a burr mill that's been in my family for many years, and give some away too. But as soon as you SELL it you are in a whole different arena. I'd never consider that without some extensive research and legal advice. Just too much liability with a processed food product.

GregCO · Oct 21, 2014

Grinding it up is the easy part. Selling will require food grade packaging and UPC codes along with getting the health department involved more then likely. Look at the back of a bag of meal at the store. That is all the information you will have to have on your packaging along with whatever testing is required.
I used to have a dairy and a creamery making cheese products. Inspections and testing were never ending.

Greg

Lou from Wi. · Oct 21, 2014

Mac AR,
Some years back I drove truck for a farmer who grew his corn and had his own dryer system. I got a small Ice Cream bucket of corn from him,took it home, run it thru a blender(on grind cycle) dumped ground corn thru the wifes sieve till it was all fine grind. I made corn bread and took it back with a stick of butter each for the two brothers,they sure appreciated it. I kept a sample for ourselves, it was the best cornbread I ever tasted, so it can be done, this is one way.
LOU

keh · Oct 22, 2014

Locally, in SC, you occasionally find some one who has a grist mill mounted on a trailer, usually powered by an antique engine, who go to various shows an sell meal straight from the grinder. Don't know about the regulations they may face. One man with a grist mill bags it and sells it to various stores. He grow his own corn.

KEH

jm. · Oct 22, 2014

Just saw this exact set up sell last week at Lonnie Claud sale in Arkansas . The engine ,mill and trailer bought a little over 9 thousand. When I see it sell at these engine shows it is just in a plain brown paper bag and they do it at a lot of shows. May be some kind of exemptions for these antique shows. Doubt if one would get rich selling corn meal.

David G · Oct 22, 2014

Having a business takes most of the fun out of it. I would expect that you would want liability insurance and meet whatever state regulations there are.

Grist Mill?

Mac AR

Member

JD Seller

Well-known Member

ShadetreeRet

Well-known Member

Paul from MI

Well-known Member

GregCO

Member

Lou from Wi.

Well-known Member

keh

Well-known Member

jm.

Well-known Member

David G

Well-known Member

Similar threads