Millers and bakers throughout history have shared a close relationship. In early Roman times milling and baking were even considered twin arts. Although by 1000AD the two had been divided into separate professions, there were still strong elements of team work required, some would say by necessity rather than choice!
Before the Industrial Revolution and the invention of roller mills, storage of milled products for more than a few days was not possible. This was the primary reason that necessitating the close proximity of the village millers and bakers to one another.
Another fundamental that has joined millers and bakers throughout history is perhaps more notorious in nature. An old German proverb states, "Millers and Bakers do not steal, they buy the booty" (In this instance, ‘booty' is defined as "goods or money illegally obtained; plunder gained through conquest).
The tongue-in-cheek proverb points to the commonly held belief throughout history that millers and bakers are dishonest cheats. It was thought that millers would often take more than their fair share of flour as payment for grinding grain. Likewise, it was assumed that bakers would adulterate the flour, produce loaves that were underweight, and overcharge their customers.
Today, outside observers of the industries could be forgiven for questioning how much has actually changed if they consider the ongoing underweight bread stories and the all-too-recent competition commission findings into the milling industry as reported in national media!
We millers and bakers operating inside the industry would of course argue differently! So much has changed since the early days. And in South Africa, there has been additional continuous transformation since industry deregulation in 1997.
In addition to a 100% open market, there are ever increasing levels of diversity as a result of advancing technology in both sectors. Once limited to basic bread; baking has burgeoned into specialised multi-national breads; cakes, pastries and doughs. Advanced processes such as par baking, cryogenic freezing and enzyme solutions make possible the ever-popular convenience ranges of the modern food industry.
Accordingly, the milling industry should be able to support the baking industry's innovative processes through supply of the specialised raw materials required for these dedicated baking processes. However, that is where the past 60 years of a highly regulated milling industry hampers what should be a profitable and mutually beneficial relationship between the two industries.
Take the example of cake flour - In South Africa, there is only a single common grade of cake flour available. There is even talk of replacing the standard cake and bread flours with a single multi-purpose flour! On the contrary, in Europe cake flour is further graded and supplied at levels as high as "00" and even "000".
Up until recently, the small independent millers outside of this oligopoly have lacked the technology to compete with the traditional millers on even a basic level, let alone produce specialised flour products required in small production runs by bakers.
However, all that that has changed and there is now technology available in smaller, less capital-intensive mills that can produce a product quality superseding the traditional market offerings. What's more, entrepreneurial entrants into the market are being encouraged and mentored, allowing for a far broader undertaking to the general FMCG and baking industries.
African Micro Mills is one of the companies driving the milling technology and accessibility revolution from ground level.
At African Micro Mills, we combine world leading European milling technology with local industry expertise and experience to offer an entirely holistic approach to milling projects of 25kg per hour to 25 tons per hour.
Our business rationale focuses on profitability, productivity, partnerships and win-win scenarios. We place particular emphasis on understanding the broader linkages operating in the grain to baking industry chains. We are aware that much potential exists between the milling and baking sectors and bridging the existent gaps between the current supply and demand scopes is key to establishing profitable opportunities between the two.
Is there a specialised milled product required in your baking enterprise that you have difficulty acquiring? Are there supply contracts out there with no one to fulfil or sustain them? Are you frustrated by the lack of quality products in the capacities you require; or the often non-existent cooperation between our two mirror image industries? Do you have questions regarding baking processes in relation to milled inputs (water absorption, yields)?
We want to hear from you! As a specialised milling technology house, rather than an independent miller, we are interested in providing you with the answers you require in this column whilst simultaneously broadening our understanding of milling relationships in Southern Africa.
This column will be a regular feature in The Baker and we invite you to send through any queries/comments/concerns you may have in relation to the baking and milling industries in Southern Africa. We will also explore what is happening in the milling industry with direct emphasis placed on its symbiotic relationship to the baking industry.
We look forward to hearing from you and working together to open the communication channels between our industries.
You can get in touch with us at millersgrist@africanmicromills.com
