Using Our Flour

Dear Friends,

We work every day to live into the mission and vision of Cairnspring. That work is only possible because of you—our community of bakers, farmers, supporters, partners, team members, family, and those just finding their way to us. You are the reason this mill exists and continues to grow.

And we are growing.

Growth, in a mission-driven business, is not just scale—it’s impact. This year, we are well on our way to opening our second milling facility near Pendleton, Oregon, at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. In partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, this new mill will allow us to produce even more flour than we do in Skagit.

We are deeply grateful to CTUIR for their partnership, trust, and shared commitment to building something that honors land, community, and future generations. This collaboration represents more than a new facility—it reflects a way of working together that is rooted in respect and long-term stewardship.

For the bakers who have been asking for more access to our flour, this is meaningful. We’re grateful to be able to say “yes” more often.

Equally important, this expansion allows us to deepen and broaden our relationships with farmers—growing our network and increasing our ability to source identity-preserved grains directly. Through our regenerative growing standards, this means real change on the ground: helping farmers move beyond the commodity system, restoring soil health, and reducing or eliminating synthetic inputs. These are long-term commitments, and we approach them with both conviction and humility.

Progress over perfection.

Since our first milling in July 2017, I continue to be surprised—and honestly, a little awed—by the flavor of the flours we produce. Every grain carries its own character, shaped by place, season, and the care of the farmer. I still take flour home, bake late into the night, and see what it wants to become.

That instinct goes back a long way. My Italian Nonna loved to bake and make pasta, and she always invited me into the kitchen. Those moments shaped me. She taught me that great food begins with great ingredients—ingredients with story, with integrity, with life in them. Today, that also means ingredients that are clean, nourishing, and grown in ways that support the health of people and the land alike.

Over the past decade, Cairnspring has been an ongoing attempt to honor that idea: to build something that connects people more closely to the land, to the grain, and to each other.

Looking ahead, success for us means helping transform a system that has become unhealthy and extractive into one that is regenerative, resilient, and rooted in value—for farmers, for soil, and for the communities it feeds. It means more farmers thriving outside the commodity system, more acres under regenerative stewardship, and more people with access to healthy, clean, flavorful grain that reflects where it comes from.

As we build a new regional milling model, there have been bumps and moments of turbulence along the way—and there will be more. We see that as part of the work. We are learning as we go, and we remain committed to doing it thoughtfully, transparently, and together.

Thank you for being part of this work, for believing in what’s possible, and for helping us continue to grow in ways that matter.

With gratitude,

Kevin Morse, Founder & CEO