DENVER, Colo. -- If social media feeds are any indication, there's a resurgence in baking as we spend more time inside.
"I think people are really rediscovering how important that is and how baking and bread can bring comfort, can bring a bit of stability at uncertain time," said Ardent Mills CEO Dan Dye.
The demand for baking supplies is evident if you've been to the grocery store recently. If you've struggled to find flour, you're not alone. Denver-based Ardent Mills is working to keep up with an increase in orders that feels like it happened almost overnight.
"Some customers, they’re ordering four to six times more than they normally would, or others that are just significant increases," said Dye.
Dye said they're seeing an increasing demand for retail flour, like the kind you find on store shelves. Ardent Mills has increased production while putting additional safety measures in place like social distancing for flour mill employees.
The company has a network of 35 mills, including locations in Denver and Commerce City.
"We’re absolutely producing more. We’re running as hard as we can. We’re running, really, 24/7," said Dye.
He acknowledged that it has been hard to find flour at times, but said they are getting creative to fulfill orders. In some cases, Ardent Mills is delivering directly to stores instead of distribution centers in order to get their products on store shelves even faster.
"With that big of a push in demand in a short period that’s created some different bottlenecks and things to try and get that timing right," said Dye. "So we’re really working with our customers closely."
If you have flour or a few pantry staples on hand you can make a loaf of bread, no yeast required. Hailey Rogers is a research chef for Ardent Mills and she shared her quick recipe for Irish soda bread. Enjoy!
