DYERSVILLE, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grainwell Puffed Grains, previously known as Ancient Brands, announces that their new Dyersville, Iowa facility has begun full-scale puffed grain production. The company states that this is the only controlled-puffing facility in North America as well as the world’s largest. The new multi-line, 105,000 sq ft operation produces high-quality, custom-puffed grains and legumes at scale. Their uniquely controlled Cerex puffing technology, combined with their Grainwell Way methodology, enables precise puffing at scale and is more sustainable than other puffing methods.
“Our new name better reflects our unique capabilities and marketplace value,” says Wolfgang Buehler, Grainwell CEO. “Better-For-You foods continue to gain market share globally. Puffed ancient and contemporary grains, produced properly, bring huge potential to create innovative new products and improve existing ones. Our team works with brands’ R&D, food science, and product marketing people to tailor puffed grain and legume solutions that open possibilities for innovative products and improve existing ones.”
Prior to Grainwell, Wolfgang Buehler, CEO, had been the owner and CEO of Organic Milling in San Dimas, CA. In that role, he experienced the need in the marketplace for improved puffed grain solutions. This led to Ancient Brands and an initial small-scale facility that was soon at capacity. In November of 2022, expansion plans began. In October of 2023, the company moved into the new “greenfield” facility in Dyersville, Iowa. This new location offers 14x the volume potential, even greater product control, production efficiency, and grain diversity.
“Our closed, continuous batch process tightly controls every aspect of the complex puffing process, enabling calibration of the grain color, texture, size, moisture content, and flavor profile. Our process is up to 95% efficient, compared to an industry average of less than 70%. We create less waste and use less water and energy to create a superior product,” said Dylan Kollasch, PhD, and VP of Innovation and Product Development. “Many of our grain and legume capabilities are simply not possible with traditional puffing methodologies."
Grainwell provides samples and development support to food companies’ R&D, product development, and food science teams on a wide array of components for creating innovative new products and enhancing existing offerings. The company has also established a leading position in brand name, uncoated puffed grain cereals, claiming over 80% of the production in this growing category.
“What’s old…is what’s new,” said Chris Bekermeier, VP of Sales and Marketing. “Puffed ancient grains such as amaranth, quinoa, and Kamut are being rediscovered. Puffed grains are single-ingredient, clean-label, non-GMO, wholesome sources of nutrition, in foods including cereals, baked goods, bars, snacks, as well as a RTE snack. These grains taste amazing. Few ingredients can make these claims."
ABOUT GRAINWELL PUFFED GRAINS
Grainwell Puffed Grains, a private company headquartered in Dyersville Iowa, was founded in 2020 based on the belief that the food industry needed a new generation of historic ingredients. The company’s sole focus is leveraging technology to craft superior puffed grains and legumes that meet the evolving needs of global and emergent food brands. Current and future puffed grains include Spelt, Amaranth, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Khorasan, Kamut, Sorghum, and more. Samples and more information on Grainwell Puffed Grains can be found at Grainwellfoods.com.
