Inside Bob's Red Mill: A Private Guided Tour Tomorrow

Outside the Bob's Red Mill Store, flailing my arms like a happy muppet. — Yours truly, outside the Bob’s Red Mill Store

I feel like I won the golden ticket.

A couple of weeks ago I had the good fortune to attend the “Full On Oregon” press trip. Sponsored by Travel Oregon with support from Maxwell PR, twenty food bloggers gathered in Portland for a weekend full of culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.

This was my first time in Portland and my very first official press trip. The itinerary, thoughtfully arranged by Travel Oregon, was packed with highlights (many of which my fellow attendees have already written about). Although the trip was complimentary and I received no financial compensation, the organizers made it effortless to relax and enjoy every moment.

I arrived in Portland a little early, checked into the delightful Hotel deLuxe, and took a cab to Milwaukie to visit Bob’s Red Mill. I was excited — perhaps embarrassingly so — and ended up chatting with my driver about the mill. He told me his son runs a Mexican-Korean fusion food truck, which felt perfectly Portland.

Inside Bob Moore's Office — Inside Bob’s Office

I’m a big fan of whole grains and a long-time supporter of Bob’s Red Mill products. (Full disclosure: Bob’s advertises on my site, but I would praise them regardless.) I’d wanted to tour the mill for years, and Cassidy Stockton, their Social Media Manager, kindly gave me a private tour. Bob’s offers public tours on weekday mornings, but Cassidy let me see a bit more than the standard route and take a closer look at many areas of the facility.

Although I didn’t meet Bob on this visit, I did peek into his comfortable and unpretentious office and toured the original Mill No. 1 and the displays that tell the company’s history. Seeing the production lines up close felt a bit like a grown-up visit to Mr. Rogers’ factory segments — I’ve always loved watching how things are made, and the milling and packaging equipment at Bob’s was fascinating.

Bob's Red Mill Number One — An inside view of Mill No. 1 (now just part of the tour)

The facility is much larger than I expected — the operation recently moved to a new building about a mile from the store to accommodate growth. It spans seven acres under one roof, with modern machinery that still respects traditional milling methods: whole grains are loaded from large sacks, gravity-fed into mills, and then collected for packaging.

Main Grain Storage Room — This is about 24 hours’ worth of product — and doesn’t include their gluten-free line.

Grains and seeds are processed through stone mills and other specialized equipment. The milled product fills large bags that are taken to the packing room, where they’re hoisted above automatic bagging machines. After filling and labeling, packages pass through sensitive metal detectors and are boxed four-to-a-carton before being palletized for shipment.

Milling Sorghum Flour – That’s the mill in the lower-right corner.

Milling Corn – Inside that cylinder are two fast-spinning stone wheels.

Bagging the Bountiful Black Bean Soup Mix

Bobs Red Mill Packaging Line — Bags of granola, about to be boxed

Bob's Red Mill Shipping Warehouse — The Shipping Warehouse

Gluten-Free Goodness

About one third of the building is designated exclusively for gluten-free production and is separated to prevent cross-contamination. The company enforces strict protocols and conducts regular testing to ensure products labeled gluten-free meet those standards. Their dedicated gluten-testing lab and a separate production room demonstrate the seriousness of this commitment.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Testing Lab — Cassidy, showing off the Gluten Testing Lab

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Products — This is all Gluten-Free product, in its own room — about 24 hours’ worth as well.

Heaven, I’m in Whole Grain Heaven

After the tour we visited the Bob’s Red Mill store where lunch was provided. Cassidy patiently helped me navigate the many choices — I enjoyed a grilled vegetable sandwich on a whole wheat bun and couldn’t resist a side of fried grits.

Inside the Bob's Red Mill Store — Inside the Bob’s Red Mill Store

Cassidy handed me a tote bag and encouraged me to choose products to take home. I tried several items I hadn’t used before — hemp and chia seeds, ground hazelnut flour, rice bran, and sweet brown rice — and picked up some harder-to-find staples like dried blueberries, whole wheat Israeli couscous, and nutritional yeast. Cassidy kindly arranged to ship everything so I didn’t have to carry it on the plane.

Shelves of Bob's Red Mill Products — What I wish my grocery store looked like

The World Needs More Moores

In recent years Bob and Charlee Moore and the company partners chose an employee-owned transition rather than selling or going public. Over the coming years, the business will become wholly owned by its roughly 200 employees. The Moores have also reinvested in the community, donating generously to local institutions and funding research centers focused on whole grains, nutrition, and preventive health.

Their philanthropy includes major gifts to educational and health organizations that support research and training in nutrition and wellness — a reflection of their values and long-term commitment to the community.

Flax Seed Milling — Making Flax Seed Meal. It can’t be ground between stones, else it turns into flax seed butter — so these proprietary spinning blades do the trick!

Huge thanks to Vicky, Stacey and the Maxwell PR team; Kevin, Linea, Emily and the Travel Oregon team; and most of all Cassidy and everyone at Bob’s Red Mill for an unforgettable visit.