Vanessa Abrahamson Blog: Bay State Milling builds value in products

QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, USA – An unprecedented number of global disruptions are putting the food supply chain, which depends heavily on international collaboration, at greater risk. But on the other hand, it offers opportunities at the local level, he said Peter F Levangie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bay State Milling. This opportunity comes in the form of developing new products using available resources.

In October 2021, New York City-based Enlightened, a Beyond Better Foods brand, introduced sugar-free ready-to-bake cookies to the frozen section of retailers. Made with no added sugar and two grams of net carbs per cookie, the company uses Bay State Milling’s HealthSense, a high-fiber wheat flour with up to 10 times more fiber than traditional refined wheat flour. The flour is also included in Enlightened Sugar Free Cones.

Peter F. Levangie _ Bay State Milling_ President CEO.jpg

Peter F. Levangie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bay State Milling Co.

“HealthSense has the same great taste and versatility and is made from just one ingredient, wheat,” Levangie said. “It’s made from a unique, non-GMO wheat variety that contains far more prebiotic fiber — in the form of resistant starch — than regular wheat.”

Bay State Milling has approximately a decade of inventory to help food formulators innovate. The company works with brands big and small to ensure their products get on the shelf. The company also works with them to reformulate existing products – often with nutrients – and create better options for you.

“Consumers want more out of their food,” Levangie said. “Through our strategic partnerships, we add value to staple foods.”

As one of the biggest wheat millers in North AmericaThe 123-year-old company “likes to find niches where we’re different,” Levangie said. “We can do that because we are smaller than the big multinationals. We have used technology and non-GMO breeding and processing technology to improve wheat and oats.”

“Consumers want more from their food. Through our strategic partnerships, we add value to staple foods.” – Peter F. Levangie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bay State Milling

A dedicated North American closed supply chain helps insulate ingredient prices from market volatility, particularly when it comes to costs raw material wheat and grains continue to fluctuate.

National fast-casual restaurant chain Noodles & Company, of Cherry Creek, Colorado, USA, worked with Bay State Milling to develop Leanguini, which has been available nationwide since May. The Leanguini formulation is not only made with HealthSense, but also contains egg, essential wheat gluten and durum wheat flour. It’s described as “mimicking the namesake fresh pasta with a healthier crust”. It has the same taste and texture as regular linguini, but with 56% fewer net carbs and 44% more protein than regular wheat pasta.

Introducing such a concept nationally would not be possible in the current environment if Bay State Milling had not built up enough inventory to address some of these challenges.

“When we started building HealthSense a decade ago, we knew we needed to build some supply chain resilience,” Levangie said. “Basically, what we’ve done is build up enough inventory to have enough stock for one to two harvest cycles. We are beginning to promote our security of supply and price stability. We are incredibly well positioned.”

HealthSense is a commercial ingredient that hit the market just before the pandemic. It is available as a refined flour that tastes and works like traditional wheat flour. Co-branding with phrases like “made with HealthSense Flour” is an option.

“This provides traceability from seed to plate,” Levangie said. “We encourage marketers to describe it as a ‘strain-specific solution.'”

The only difference to regular wheat flour is that the starch complex absorbs a little more water; Therefore, minor formulation adjustments may be necessary.

With more home baking since the pandemic, the company flipped and entered the consumer goods space (via Amazon) with Flourish Flour, a high-fiber, all-purpose wheat flour that supports proper digestion and a healthy immune system. It contains five times more fiber than regular all-purpose flour and has been verified by the Non-GMO Project. It’s a direct replacement for all-purpose flour in most recipes.

Bay State Milling has also worked with Montana State researchers to develop high-protein hullless oats. They are gluten-free and contain 40% more protein than regular oatmeal.

“Because this non-GMO variety doesn’t naturally have husks, these gluten-free oats can be processed with less energy,” Levangie said. “Similar to HealthSense, we have built a significant inventory of SowNaked Oats. We were able to offer security of supply.”

SowNaked Oats can be used wherever conventional oats are found. Levangie believes the biggest opportunity lies in oat drinks, where protein content is often lacking.

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