Business of the Week: Flourist

By Cambro Manufacturing on September 14, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

It wasn’t that long ago that flour and bread were nowhere to be found on grocery store shelves. When flour became a hot commodity during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, business exploded for Flourist. Located in Vancouver, Canada, Flourist is committed to working exclusively with Canadian family farms in order to make their products available across North America and to help support the Canadian farmers. Co-founder Janna Bishop explains what makes Flourist products different.

What inspired you to get into foodservice?

“I got into foodservice to make a difference in how people eat. Showcasing freshly milled flour and sourdough breads all made from family grown, organic grains. I want people to understand and feel connected to the full story of the food they eat. That includes shining a light on farmers, explaining how we source our ingredients, showing people the magic of small scale milling and teaching people how to bake bread at home!”

What do you love about your business?

“I love when people discover that they can eat flour and bread when we make it, after avoiding them for health reasons for many years! Organic grains, stone milling and long fermentation creates bread that almost everyone can enjoy.”

What’s the most interesting thing to happen to your business?

“When COVID numbers started to rise and the pandemic was officially announced our business went crazy!! People started stockpiling all of our products: flour, whole grains, lentils, chickpeas, everything. We couldn’t keep up at all! We never thought we would see the day when flour was the most coveted item on the market.”

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

“It took us two years to convince our municipality to let us operate our first flour mill. There was no one else doing any small-scale flour in our city and they had never seen a mill like ours. We worked hard to convince them that the old way of doing things was better and could be done safely. Thankfully our patience and diligence paid off, we now have three flour mills up and running!”

Which Cambro products help make your business work?

“As with most restaurants and bakeries, our Cambro Ingredient Bins are essential. Our largest and most important Cambro bins collect fresh flour as it’s being milled. Our kitchen uses an assortment of sizes for all types of storage. Everything from dry mise en place for cinnamon buns and pizza dough, storing house made compotes and jams, and culturing créme fraîche. Our Cambros are essential to keeping our team organized and efficient, our kitchen clean and tidy.”