Ligonier flour mill expanding capacity

Michigan-based Star of the West Milling Co. has announced plans to expand flour milling capacity at its facility in Noble County. The company said the project will include adding a seven-story slipform structure to support the additional efforts in Ligonier.

While Star of the West is not disclosing its financial investment in the project, Be Noble Inc. Executive Director Melanie Kellogg tells Inside INdiana Business the expansion comes with an estimated $150 million price tag.

The plant currently employs 25 people, and the project will add about 13 jobs, Plant Manager Kate Knowlton said in an email to Inside INdiana Business.

The Ligonier wheat flour mill currently has a daily capacity of 800,000 pounds of soft wheat flour. The company said it would add 1.5 million pounds of conventional soft wheat production and 500,000 pounds of pathogen mitigated capacity at the site.

In addition to the new slipform structure, the project will include additional feed storage and loadout capacity, additional flour storage, two twin packaging lines, and tote-filling capabilities, the company said.

“Ag and food production are target industries in Noble County, so we’re very excited Ligonier won this significant project,” Kellogg said in a statement to IIB. “It says what a great community Ligonier is for doing business.”

Star of the West CEO Jim Howe said the expansion is a “significant step forward” in the company’s goal of partnering with local producers and food processors.

The company said initial projections support demand for an additional 9 million bushels of soft red winter wheat production in northeast Indiana. The expansion includes funding for a full-time wheat specialist that will work with local growers to maximize their wheat crop that can be used at the mill.

“We are extremely fortunate to be partnered with a growth-minded, forward-looking customer base,” Star of the West Flour Milling Division President Mike Fassezke said in written remarks. “We are committed to meeting their needs and sustaining those partnerships we have developed over many years.”

The project is slated for completion in September 2025.

The Ligonier facility is Star of the West’s only operation in Indiana.