Innovation in Flour Production
After turning almost everything into flour, from pumpkin seeds to olives to sweet lupin, the new wave of innovation comes from sustainably produced flours that allow bakers to use the coveted climate-friendly claims. However, the road to making these types of specialized flours the norm is only at its beginning.
King Arthur’s Regeneratively-Grown Climate Blend
King Arthur Baking Company, America’s oldest baking company, launched its newest flour product, Regeneratively-Grown Climate Blend, in November 2023. Climate Blend Flour is an innovative blend of unique wheat varieties grown using regenerative practices, helping farmers improve soil health and farm resilience. The regenerative flour offers a rich, nutty flavor and tender texture and can be used in any recipe that calls for whole wheat flour – including bread, muffins, scones, and other beloved baked goods.
The certified regeneratively-grown flour was created in collaboration with the Washington State University Breadlab, an organization that breeds wheat varieties that are better for the soil and encourage sustainable farming practices. Among these is an innovative perennial wheat which will grow back naturally without needing to be planted again for 2-3 years.
The wheat for the first batch of Climate Blend was grown in North Dakota and Montana by multi-generational farmers who are looking to change the way that they grow their crops and steward their land, Brock Linker and Brandon Bock. In an effort to provide transparency and accountability around regenerative agriculture practices and impacts, Climate Blend is a certified regenerative flour by a trusted third-party organization, Regenified.
Eurostar Foods’ Green Farm Collective RE:GEN Flour Line
The Green Farm Collective (TGFC), a UK-based group of regenerative farmers, has partnered with Eurostar Commodities to launch RISE RE:GEN Flour, a new range of flours produced using regenerative agriculture. Branded with the tagline Farmed with Nature, the flour line reflects TGFC’s mission to promote sustainable, soil-focused farming and to secure ethical and fair market access for growers. TGFC supports regenerative practices that prioritise biodiversity, minimal soil disturbance, and long-term environmental health. Eurostar Commodities, a family-run ingredient supplier with distribution across Europe and the Middle East, embraced TGFC’s vision, creating a bespoke flour brand for its customers in bread, pizza and wheat-based foods.
The partnership includes fair pricing for farmers and a commitment to full supply chain transparency. TGFC has developed its own regenerative standards, verified by Food Integrity Assurance and supported by Sandy software from Trinity Agtech, ensuring traceability and data-driven accountability. RISE RE:GEN is currently available in 16kg paper sacks as Strong or All Purpose Flour. As the market for regeneratively farmed ingredients grows, TGFC’s audited practices and farmer-led community offer credibility and confidence to partners and consumers alike. TGFC also won the 2023 BBC Food and Farming Award for Farming for the Future.
Wheat, but Gluten-free
Spanish start-up Bread Free has developed a groundbreaking gluten-free wheat flour using patented biotechnology. Unlike traditional gluten-free products, which often compromise on taste and texture, Bread Free’s innovation retains the sensory and nutritional qualities of standard wheat flour. The process involves deactivating the gluten-forming proteins in wheat through enzymatic treatment, achieving gluten levels below 10 parts per million—well within the threshold for “gluten-free” classification in the EU. This makes it suitable for people with coeliac disease and gluten intolerance. Bread Free’s approach offers an advantage over conventional gluten-free alternatives, which typically rely on blends of rice, corn, or legume flours and often require additional stabilizers and additives. The new flour performs similarly to traditional wheat in baking, allowing manufacturers to reformulate products like bread, pizza, and pastries without changing processing methods. It also aligns with clean-label trends, avoiding synthetic gluten replacements.