Understanding Processor and End-User Grain Needs

Diversifying the Midwest agricultural landscape with food-grade grains fosters both economic resilience for rural communities and broad access to nutritious foods. A thriving regional grain economy is in part dependent on the roles and activities of food and beverage processors and end-users in the grain chain. Incorporating local and regional grains into ingredients and food products, processors and end-users can create a market demand that incentivizes crop diversity on Midwest farms.

Report

This report details findings from a series of in-depth interviews with food and beverage industry processors and end-users in the Midwest who are currently sourcing local and regional food-grade grains. Conversations explored desired attributes when working with local or regional grain suppliers, yielding insights into how processors and end-users evaluate grain suppliers, barriers to working with local and regional grain suppliers, and opportunities to expand to local and regional grain sourcing. The research also informed potential marketing approaches for different types of end-users. The report appendix includes Processor and End-User Personas (included below individually) that provide market-specific insights into grain procurement, evaluation criteria, and key product attributes.

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Processor & End-User Personas

Six personas developed through grain process and end-user interviews highlight the unique barriers and needs of specific types of food and ingredient makers in the Midwest.

These personas provide insights into the processor or end-user’s goals, pain points, purchasing criteria, and key attributes for grain products of interest. In the context of the regional grainshed, these personas can help grain farmers, processors, and end-users better understand how to successfully work together.

Retail Baker

"Trying to do my tiny little part to support people that are trying to make change and hoping that'll somehow shift a general perspective of how people want to support businesses and how they want food to be grown."

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Wholesale Baker

"We care about flavor, we care about our local community and keeping money local. We probably wouldn't source locally if local grain flour didn't taste so good."

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CPG Maker

“A lot of CPG brands were built on this premise of a better for you, cleaning up the cereal aisle, at this peak trend of gluten-free, paleo, keto. I think brands are now recognizing this connection point between nutrient density and ultimately what's happening at the farm level."

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Craft Distiller

“The (farmer) working relationship is really pretty awesome. There's the reliability. They can grow with you, you know, you can kind of piggyback off each other in support of the community and not being a cog in somebody else's wheel."

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Regional Maltster

“We're trying to focus on the stuff that makes the most sense for us and for us that has really been custom malting. we want to grow that into being a regional resource for farm folks and distilleries."

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Miller

“We're seeing more bakeries who are saying we want to use only your flour and we want to utilize a whole product line versus maybe just getting a little bit of bread flour or a little bit of whole grain flour and then adding that into their cheaper, more commodity commercial type flours."

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