Panhandle Milling, a supplier of grain-based consumer packaged ingredients, has announced the company has started operations in their new gluten-free facility in Hereford, Texas. The facility acquired in September of 2020, has multiple production buildings on the property allowing for dedicated gluten-free capabilities, better positioning the company as a leader in the market.

Over the last decade, the gluten-free foods industry has sky-rocketed. The rapidly growing market was valued at $4.35 billion and is projected to increase another $3 billion by 2026. As gluten-free products continue to gain in popularity among consumers, Panhandle Milling is driving innovation in the market and supporting the gluten-free product demand amongst retailers, manufactures and brands. The newly converted facility highlight’s the company’s prioritization of innovation as they work to make it easier for clients to grow their product portfolio to accommodate shifting tastes and preferences.

“We are excited about Panhandle Milling’s dedicated gluten-free facility! We continue to grow our grain and seed offerings to meet demand of our customers, and we are thrilled with these new capabilities. In addition, the new facility will offer a gluten-free cereal extrusion line.” commented Peter Bisaccia, president of PHM Brands.

While organic, gluten-free products can be produced in shared facilities, Panhandle Milling saw the value of a fully dedicated facility, which minimizes the risk of cross-contamination from shared equipment and improves product quality and food safety by eliminating the need for transitions between gluten and gluten-free products.

The facility offers onsite refrigeration for climate-controlled products, as well as warehousing capabilities to support bulk options and optimize storage, shipping and receiving. With the recent conversions, it is equipped to clean, mill, extrude and package organic, whole gluten-free grains such as corn, quinoa, rice, amaranth, buckwheat, oats, millet, sorghum and more. The addition of an organic and gluten-free cereal extrusion line in the facility enables Panhandle Milling to better serve customers by offering retailers and brands flavored and unflavored extrusion cereal flakes alongside their ample selection of mixes, flours, and grains.

In an effort to further support private label and co-manufacturing customers the facility boasts expanded packaging solutions such as bag-in-box, preformed pouches, form-fill-and-seal, pillow packs, and supports new products including gluten-free, organic-certified Ready-To-Eat grains and seeds, made possible through PHM Safe’s Guardian technology.