Last month when I visited my family in Oregon, I had the opportunity to visit Bob’s Red Mill.
I have been to the Bob’s Red Mill Store before. In fact, I have been there many times. I grew up in the Portland area and remember my best friend’s mom and sister going there in the early 1990’s to purchase flour and other products from them.
And I have visited Bob’s Red Mill almost every time I have visited Oregon over the last seventeen years. In fact, the few times that we have driven out to Oregon, I have hauled back several hundred pounds of grains to Oklahoma. I have even met Bob of Bob’s Red Mill a few times on my visits.
Yes, I think you can say that I love Bob’s Red Mill.
This last trip out to Oregon though I was able to do more than just visit the store. I got a behind the scenes tour of the mill and what goes on. I was thrilled to be able to see how they process and grind their products. And I was excited to see how they process and keep their gluten free products safe and truly gluten free.
My first thought when I entered Bob’s Red Mill was what a great company it must be to work for. You could instantly tell that the employees loved working there and cared about the company. And they should care because Bob’s Red Mill is an employee owned company. The employees truly do care about the company and the quality of the product they produce because it is their company.
My sister Flora joined me for the tour. As we toured the mill we both kept thinking, “Wow that is a lot of grain.” And it is a lot of grain.
In 2010 about 60 million lbs of grain went through Bob’s Red Mill. Not only that, but they had about 12 million lbs of other products go through the mill. That is about 125,000 packages a day. That is a lot of whole grain healthy products!
It was very interesting to see how efficient they were with the whole process from the grinding to the packaging.
Bob’s Red Mill turns over 90% of their product every three weeks. I love this fact. This means that their products are not sitting around in a warehouse for months and months. They do their best to get their product to the consumer as soon as possible.
They also continually test their products in a lab and test kitchen to make sure they are up to the standards that their consumers expect.
The part of the tour I really enjoyed was the gluten free area. Several in my family eat gluten free, so finding high quality, good tasting gluten free products is important to me.
Bob’s Red Mill has a totally different section where they process their gluten free products. It has a different ventilation system and they keep everything separate. They test the gluten free products multiple times throughout the time that they enter and leave the mill to be sure they continue to stay gluten free and safe. And they have a totally different lab, in a separate area, where they do all the gluten free testing. They really do care that their products are what they say they are. They take gluten free seriously.
They sell about 70 gluten free products that are certified and tested gluten free.
And they sell over 400 products under the entire Bob’s Red Mill brand.
The Bob’s Red Mill website has a few video tours of their mill that are fun to watch if you are interested in more about their company and products. And if you live in or ever visit the Portland, OR area I encourage you to visit Bob’s Red Mill.
Now for the giveaway! GIVEAWAY OVER!!!!
Bob’s Red Mill is giving away a gift pack to four of my readers. Each gift pack will include four items of the winners choosing. (The items can range in size from an 8 ounce package to the 32 ounce package size. So, basically any of the small prepackaged sizes that you find on your grocery store shelf.) What I love about this giveaway is that you get to choose. So the winners will have a chance to pick products that they have wanted to try. And if one of my gluten free readers wins they will be able to choose from any of the gluten free products.
This giveaway will end Wednesday July 20, 2011. Four winners will be chosen.
To Enter:
Leave me a comment. That is all you have to do, but I would love to hear what Bob’s Red Mill product you love or what product you have been wanting to try. (One entry per person, please.)
For more questions and details please see my giveaway policy.
Disclaimer: Bob’s Red Mill sent me a sample pack of their gluten free products to try after I toured the mill, however, I have loved and used their products for years. I contacted them about touring the mill, they did not contact me. They did not pay me for my time or thoughts. My thoughts and opinions are my own. I truly think they are a great company that produce great products.
Their whole wheat flour is the best!
I haven’t used any of the products but I recently bought some flax seed, the basic GF flour blend, and a GF corn bread mix. Would love to be a winner so that I could try a few of the different flours. Thanks for the giveaway!
With all the very fussy eaters and multiple food-allergies in our families, I love all their products for various reasons. As a in-home child-care provider, what I feed my little ones really mattered and since I grew up on a farm where most of what we ate was grown by my grandfather, I know what is real and what is real good! There is not a product they sell that I don’t use at various times during a year. If pressed, I would chose their whole flour with a close second the corn bread mix. (A not-so-secret ingredient of my new vegan take on dressing.)
It’s not a small thing either, that is is a company owned by its employees and that means so much in my purchasing decisions.
We are trying to eat healthier and would love to try out some of their products. I agree with one of the earlier comments that this can all be a little overwhelming, but it’s great to know there are products like these out there to make it a little easier.
Thanks for the info about this company. I love Bob’s Red Mill products, even before going gluten free. I espcially like the corn grits and tvp!
Crunch coconut granola caught my eye but there were a lot of mixes I would live to try also.
Wow! How neat to tour the back scenes. I am so thankful for the products. I used the gluten free products to help out a friend. Found I liked using the potato starch in lots of dishes. Would love to win and bless my friend with the goodies she can use.
What a fun giveaway! I love their pancake mixes, would love to try some of the hot cereals and beans. I have my eye on the Mighty Tasty and Peppy Kernels, Steel Cut Oats and Black Turtle Beans!
I would love to win this! I use so many Bob’s Red Mill products but my favorite are the GF Oats.
I, too, love Bob’s Red Mill. Just the other day I was looking at the small pearl tapioca, I would like to try some of that.
Thank you for the opportunity!
I love their corn grits for polenta! Yummmm!
I went to Bob’s Red Mill with my Grandma when I was younger. I actually wish she still lived in Oregon so I could go again. I love their oats! I use so many of their products that it’s pretty hard to choose! Thanks for the great giveaway!!
Nicole
I would love to try their products! Thanks for the chance to win!!
Bob’s steel cut oats are my favorite! I would love to try some other products though. Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
I have been interested in their products, but haven’t been able to try them. I am interested in gluten free products for my granddaughter. Thanks.
[email protected]
Love this company’s many gluten free flours!
I’ve never tried any of their products- I’ve actually never seen any of their products, but they sound wonderful and like something I now need to try! The spice apple bran muffin mix in your photo looks like something I’d love! Thanks.
I love Bob’s Coconut Flour and Arrowroot Powder! I have been looking for the 13 Bean Soup Mix but haven’t been able to find it in any stores.
I too love Bob’s Red Mill. It is a really fun place to visit. My two brothers lived in Portland for a while so I got to go several times. I wish there were more places like it, especially in Phoenix where I live. I hope that I win!
We love the buttermilk pancake mix! Would love to win this. Thanks for introducing me to the website.
Thanks for the giveaway! I would love to try the Hazelnut flour, sounds like a yummy,nutty addition to some good baked sweets. Second would be the Pumpernickle Rye flour, I’ve been wanting to make some good homemade Pumpernickle bread. My third choice would be Quinoa, it’s something that I have been wanting to try for a while and just haven’t picked any up yet. My fourth choice would be either Semolina flour for pasta, or Steel cut oats, or Chia seeds not sure which yet as they are all things that I have recipes for that I would love to try out. Thanks again!!!
We’ve used a number of Bob’s Red Mill products and love most of them. (We thought the GF chocolate cake mix was awful, though. 🙁 ) I really love that they sell otherwise hard-to-find grains.
I LOVE the steel cut oats!
Thanks for the contest!
I’ve never had any of their products. Would love to win so I can try. Thanks for chance to win.
I’m not strictly gluten-free, but love experimenting with flours, and thus LOVE Bob’s Red Mill! I’ve tried about a half a dozen of their flours (and a few of the mixes) and right now my favorites are the coconut flour, the spelt flour, and the cornstarch (non-GMO!). But there are many others I want to try, including the … sweet rice flour, buckwheat flour, teff flour, graham flour, and hazelnut meal/flour. Love this giveaway, thanks Lynn!
Love the gluten free line of products. Coconut and almond flours make for some amazing baked goods! And of course the GF oats!
I have used their flour and really liked it. I would love to try their muffin or waffle/pancake mixes. =)
I’ve always had a high regard for Bob’s Red Mill products. Now that I have to be gluten-free, I especially appreciate their care in assuring that their products are pure.
Thank you for the giveaway! I have used one of their muffin mixes in the past that we really liked.
I like the flax seed meal, and any oats!! 🙂
I haven’t had the chance to try Bob’s Red Mill products yet. It is a new company to me. I would love to try some of the gluten free grains!
I’d love to try out some of their gluten free products…we may be experimenting with going gluten free for dh soon 🙂
I LOVE Bob’s ground flaxseed. I throw it in my cereal as well as throw it in my smoothies. GREAT way to get extra alpha omegas!
I LOVE all the products! Thanks for sharing.
I have never had the opportunity to try Red Mill products. This would be a great way to do that!! 😉
I love Bob’s Red Mill too, we buy a lot of wheat bran to use in homemade granola bars.
I was given a Sourdough Starter from Red Mill by a friend and LOVED it!! I need to check out their website and order some items. Will put it on my Oregon list of places to visit for when our travels take us out that way. Thanks for the reminder of how good their items are! Have a blessed day…
I really didn’t know Bob’s Red Mill till I discovered I had Celiac now I love all of there products. I must try there 13 bean soup. I love the cormeal the best.
I have been using Bob’s Red Mill products for years. I love the Flaxseed Meal in my cereal and baked goods.
I love them for their gluten-free products. We use many of their products.
We LOVE Bob’s, too! Just ordered 8 bags of bean soup mixes from Amazon.
WOW – who knew there were so many choices. Would love to try some of these – they all sound good. Great idea to have sample packages to try an assortment of items. Thanks for the info.
That does sound like a cool place! 🙂 I can’t believe how many different types of flour they make!
I have used Bob’s Red Mill aluminum free baking soda and their steel cut oats among several other products. I would enjoy trying something new such as their nonfat dry milk powder and dried fruit . They have so much variety!
I love Bob’s Red Mill products. My husband was diagnosed with celiac in 2007. So I’ve done alot of gluten free baking since!! I use several of the gluten free flours and the flaxseed meal in my hamburger buns! My husband would rather use a hamburger bun for his sandwiches as they don’t crumble as easy. I use the muffin top pans to make the buns. I’d bought those pans on the Bob’s Red Mill website a year ago. There are some other gf Bob’s mixes that I would like to try.
I’ve never heard of them before, but it looks great! I’d love to try the gluten free oat flour.
I’ve been trying to sort out the “gluten free” information to see how it may help my family. Using whole grains, flaxseeds, etc. is foreign yet very interesting to me. I would love to try items from Bob’s Red Mill. Free would also help me convince my hubbie to TRY it. Thank you so much for sharing.
I’ve tried so many of their products, but have been excited to use their soy grits in place of regular grits.
Would love to try their pancake/waffle mix. Also love their flax seed products.
Don’t think I’ve ever tried their products, but I would love to.
For me, making a meal from scratch using great products from Bob’s Red Mill is the greatest way to say “I love you” to my family and friends! I love you guys!
The Scottish Oatmeal Scone mix sounds yummy and I would love to try it, especially since I’ve not had any of their products before!
I use Bob’s products daily as I, my middle child, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are all gluten-free. How fun to actually go there!
Thanks for all the valuable information. I buy the products but never took the time to visit or research it. Great job Lynn keep up the great work and inspiration as well.
We have used the 13 bean soup several times with great results and also their flax seed products, Everything we have puchased from them is high quality and tastes great, thanks for the chnce to win
I have really only tried flax seed, but would enjoy trying other products…especially the pancake/waffle mix. Thank you! Michelle
I haven’t used any of their products but reading your post makes me want to try some!
Everything I’ve tried from Bob’s Red Mill has been great, would love a chance to try more of their products!
I bought Bob’s gluten-free pizza crust mix… haven’t tried it yet, but can’t wait to! I love Bob’s!!!
I love so many of their products! My favorite is their quinoa and their flax seeds. They also make a wonderful hemp protein. Thanks for the opportunity to win!=)
I love all the products, but the cornbread mix is my absolute favorite. Even though it is more expensive than other brands, the quality is so much better that it is one of the items I splurge on in the grocery budget.
We will have to see about giving them a visit the next time we are in the Portland area. I would love to try their GF products. Just discovered your website and will be doing “homework” on how to go about GF cooking. I like what I see so far! Neither of my husband, nor myself have been diagnosed or tested for Celiac, but would like to see what a difference it (GF) might could make for the both of us.
I’d like to try their coconut flour or other specialty flours (rye, etc.)
I’ve never tried anything from the mill but am excited to do so!
I lOve their Pancake mix. Delicious!! Will like to try the flax seed.
I have been a fan of his pancake mixes and his rye flour .. use them very often!
I Love their pancake mix! delicious ! will like to try the flax seed.
I came across Bob’s Red Mill products in my local bread outlet and decided to try their Thick Cut Oats. How yummy!!!!! I now enjoy eating oats a few days a week! I can now find some of their products in my local Kroger, but would love to win and have the opportunity to try something that’s not available in my local stores!
I love their White Whole Wheat. It makes my zuchinni and banana bread so moist!
the 13 bean soup sounds soo good! i’d loove to try it!
We love Bob’s Red Mill too! When my husband first went gluten free (celiac disease) over a year ago, BRM was the first products I tried. Their gluten free biscuit mix is wonderful. It was so nice to find a large range of products in such an overwhelming time of learning how to cook gluten free for my husband. I hope that I win this <3
I’d love their groats, please. Mmmm….
I would love to try their products, they sound great!!!!!!
I love their ground flax seed and gluten free pancake mix.
We recently had to go gluten free for my son, so I’d love to win this just to help stock up on the various items we need to do gluten free baking. So far I really like their brown rice flour and their sorghum flour :).
Hi there! I have always enjoyed the line of oat products from Bob’s Red Mill. I love the fact that they sell healthy, whole grains, and they also package some neat mixes.
Thanks for the tour and the giveaway! How cool!
Nicole M.
Restoration Homestead
I have been adding their bean flours to my soups to thicken them. I would love to try other things also.
That’s so cool that you’ve been to Bob’s Red Mill! Thanks for all the insider pics and information about the place! I like everything we’ve ever tried from the Bob’s Red Mill line – the Bulgar Wheat, Barley Flour, Oats are what first come to mind. ~Brianne
I would love to try any of the pancake mixes or soup mixes.
They all sound very good. The one that catches my eye is the spice apple muffin mix. I realy enjoy your web site. I have tried many of you recipes and loved everyone of them. I love to bake and cook. And my wife and friends say I am a good cook/baker. So either they are pulling my leg or maybe it is good or lol so they don’t have to cook or bake. I realy enjoy cooking over a open fire pit. I gess point being is I love to cook/bake and your site exspands new things I can make.Every once in awhile I fail at something I make but that don’t stop me from doing it again till I get it right. Any tips or pointers you may have please send them my way and I will be more than happy to take advice. Thank you so much for sharing all your recipes and the time you put into your wonderful website. :o)
Pick Me ! Pick Me!
I have used their Flax Seed, would like to try their other products…..
hint! hint!
It would be hard to choose! Right now I’m thinking some yummy GF brownies and flaxseed and some flours?
I have tried their various types of flours and like them.
I’ve used their Almond Flour and it was wonderful. Can’t wait to try more of their products.
I’ve never used any of their products but would LOVE to try some of the prepackaged muffin/pancake mixes, etc! With four kiddos this would make breakfast a lot easier on a mom some mornings!
I have never tried Bob’s Mill products, but I am always looking for new flavor experiences. I would love the chance to try the products!
I love their vegetarian egg replacer and flax seed. I would love to try some other products too. Thanks for the give away.
I am SO very thankful for Bob’s Red Mill! Our household (which includes Daddy and I and 4 children ages 6, 4, 3, and 22months) is Gluten-Free. I LOVE their Tapioca Starch as other brands I have tried leave an after taste in my baking. Their Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Oats are a staple as well. I use them to make homemade granola bars and Chocolate Almond Cranberry Granola, and No Bakes. Yummy!
I’ve just been to their website to look around and I would LOVE to have a sampling of their products to bake with! Thanks for the giveaway.
I would love this! I use their multi grain cereals (8 grain or 10 grain) to make easymulti-grain breads- added to my regular wheat. Almond meal and coconut flour are also fun to use.
Bob’s Redmill is the best! I LOVE their flax seed products. I’ve been wanting to make some homemade bread, so I would love to have some of their whole wheat flour to use. Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
I love their flaxseed meal. We use it in our Monster Cookies to replace 1/2 of the butter. I plan to try some of their other products. Thanks for the giveaway.
I would love to visit Bob’s Red Mill if I am ever in Oregon! I am really impressed that it is employee owned. I would like to try the Low Carb Bread Mix and the Organic Brown Rice. Thanks for sharing your visit:)
I just recently tried one of their products for the first time – flaxseed meal. Yum! I plan to try their flour soon as well. Maybe it’ll be free. lol! 🙂
I have enjoyed using their Wheat Germ in my home made granola. It sounds like it would be a wonderful place to visit. 🙂
Wow this is great I know for sure that I want the Honey Oat Granola, Potato Flakes, Sea Salt, and GF Shortbread Cookie Mix!!
With my daughter’s allergies to wheat AND corn, we love their rice flour best but also use the potato flour, starch and almond flour.
Hello! I have never tried their products and would love too!!!
I love the ground flaxseed meal to use in pancakes, waffles, and granola.
I’d love to try the Scottish Oatmeal Scone Mix and any of the pancake mixes.