Siemer Milling Enters Joint Venture to Build Mill Near Cincinnati

Siemer Milling Company of Teutopolis has entered into a joint venture to build a new wheat flour mill in West Harrison, IN, just west of Cincinnati, OH. 

The venture is named Whitewater Mill LLC.  Siemer’s partner is Hy. Nagel & Son – Brighton Mills of Cincinnati.  The mill will have a daily production capacity of 700 tons of soft wheat flour and other wheat products, processing about 7 million bushels of wheat in a year.  It will incorporate advanced technology and building design to achieve optimal efficiency, food safety and security. 

Principal contractors for the project are Buhler, Inc. of Plymouth, MN for processing equipment, and Todd & Sargent of Ames, IA for the buildings and equipment installation.  Financing is provided by CoBank of Denver, CO, with support from Dearborn County, IN, the Lawrenceburg (IN) Regional Economic Development Grant Fund, and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. 

According to Whitewater Mill spokesman Rick Siemer, “Nagel and Siemer see a great opportunity for flour milling in the Cincinnati area.  Existing and potential wheat supply and flour demand factors point to long-term success for this venture.  Even more important, this will be a facility that addresses the most critical challenges of food manufacturing in a steadily more demanding environment.  We and our customers, not to mention consumers and government, are establishing higher standards along the entire continuum of production – sustainability, efficiency, cleanliness of process and product.  Flour mills are built to last a long time, to the point where some have outlived their utility.  This plant is designed for the future, not the past.  This plant represents what our industry must do to participate in the changing food supply chain.” 

Partner Ted Nagel states, “We all have experienced an increase in complexity of every aspect of our industry.   Whitewater mill will be a renewal for Nagel and Siemer.  For us in Cincinnati we expect efficiencies in milling and transportation over our current facilities.   We look forward to the challenges of the future with the partnership between Nagel and Siemer at Whitewater Mill.” 

Siemer adds, “We are very happy with the positive reception our project has gotten from local governments in the Dearborn County area.  Incentives can rarely be the decisive factor in business location, and in this case, transportation probably ranks as number one.  But the total package offered to us by the governments is extremely helpful  in a capital intensive project like this.  And their encouraging attitude and assistance in dealing with regulatory issues is invaluable.” 

Total employment in the highly automated operation will be about 35 persons.  The mill is expected to begin production in the spring of 2015. 

Siemer Milling operates two flour mills, in Teutopolis and Hopkinsville, KY, with combined daily production capacity of 1700 tons of wheat products.  Nagel also operates two mills, in Cincinnati and Clifton, OH; these mills will be closed upon completion of the Whitewater Mill.  Both companies have a long history – Siemer was begun in 1882, Nagel in 1858; in each case, the founding family has been continuously involved to the present day.