Ardent Mills, a three-way joint venture and the country's largest flour milling company, began operations May 29 following approval by the U.S. Justice Dept.
The company is a combination of the milling operations of ConAgra, Cargill and CHS, the last two of which already had joined their operations in what was Horizon Milling. Ardent Mills, unveiled in March 2013, has 40 mills, three bakery mix facilities and a specialty bakery.
Four mills had to be sold to keep prices competitive for customers and farmers, the Justice Dept. ruled. Those mills, in the Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis and San Francisco areas, were just sold to Minneapolis-based Miller Milling, a subsidiary of Japan's Nisshin Seifun Group.
Dan Dye, formerly president of Horizon Milling, is CEO of the new company. It's expected to be headquartered in Denver later this year.
