Tucked behind a towering grain elevator on the Halifax waterfront, P&H Milling Group—the milling operation of the Canadian grain company Parrish & Heimbecker (P&H) Limited—has been an essential supplier of Atlantic Canada’s flour for the past 15 years. Producing 12 tons of flour every hour, the equivalent of approximately 240,000 loaves of bread, the mill is crucial to meeting growing local, national and global demand for high quality bulk flour, animal and fish feed, and grain-based products.

“Halifax has been a vital hub for us for decades, even before we acquired the mill,” says Lloyd Heimbecker, CEO of P&H Milling Group, about the strategic importance of their Halifax locale. “Its prime location at the Port of Halifax allows us to efficiently serve not just the Atlantic provinces, but also the Eastern United States and various export markets including Iceland, Peru and Cuba.”

Heimbecker emphasizes the company’s commitment to the region, noting that P&H Milling Group’s Halifax Mill supplies 85 per cent of Atlantic Canada’s flour. “From bread, to cake, to pitas and pies, the products on store shelves can be traced back to flour milled locally in Halifax.”

As the only flour mill east of Montreal, P&H Milling Group’s Halifax operations are poised to increase production by nearly 30 per cent this year to meet growing customer demand. Heimbecker attributes this surge to consumers’ desire for locally produced products and P&H Milling Group’s strategic location on the East Coast. “The wheat is delivered by ship and is stored in the Halifax grain elevator on the waterfront,” says Robert Bradford, P&H Milling Group’s Halifax-based operations manager. “The grain elevator, itself, stores about 27,000 metric tons of wheat at any one time.”

The Halifax Mill’s operational scale is impressive, processing about 90,000 metric tons of wheat annually. The six-story facility employs nearly 50 people and features advanced machinery designed to optimize every step of the milling process. “We’re equipped to meet the surging demand with our 24/7 operations and dedicated workforce,” Bradford says.

Economic impact is also top of mind for P&H Milling Group’s operations. Supplying dozens of companies in the Atlantic region, the Halifax Mill supports over 1,000 jobs. “Our goal is to enhance market responsiveness out of our Halifax location, support customer growth and drive economic prosperity in the Atlantic region and beyond,” Heimbecker says.

Canada’s largest family-owned milling company, with seven locations across the country, P&H Milling Group is committed to its presence on the East Coast, “We’re always investing in our Halifax operations to be even faster to market and to support the increasing global demand with our superior products and service,” Heimbecker adds.

By focusing on strategic growth, excellent customer service, and leveraging its prime location on the Halifax Waterfront, P&H Milling Group’s Halifax Mill continues to be an indispensable player in the flour milling industry in the region, across Canada and the world.