East Lothian to get new £170k mill to better connect Scottish farmers and bakers
The mill will be capable of processing up to 500 tonnes of wheat each year
A new flour mill capable of processing up to 500 tonnes of wheat a year is to open in East Lothian,
Tantallon Mill is being developed by Company Bakery at Auldhame Farm, Seacliff, overlooking Tantallon Castle and the Bass Rock, and will create four new full-time jobs as well as supporting connected local industries.
It is hoped that the mill’s opening will bring Scottish farmers and the country’s growing community of independent bakers closer together.
The £170,000 project has secured a £65,848.86 grant through the Scottish Government’s Food and Drink Processing Scheme Scotland.
The new stone mill will initially source grain predominantly from farms in East Lothian and south-east Scotland, before cleaning and milling it into specialist flour for Company Bakery and other independent bakeries, restaurants and food businesses.
At full capacity, the mill will be capable of processing up to 500 tonnes of wheat each year – enough to make a loaf for every person in Edinburgh and the Lothians, with more than 108,000 loaves left over.
For Company Bakery, the six-figure project represents a return to where it all began. When the business was founded in Edinburgh in 2017, a small Austrian-built stone mill sat alongside its ovens and mixers, allowing co-founder Ben Reade and the team to mill organic Scottish grain for their own bread.
But as the bakery grew and began supplying increasing numbers of hospitality businesses, it quickly outgrew the small mill and the team stopped milling to concentrate on building the bakery.
Ben Reade, Company Bakery co-founder, said: “Milling was there right at the beginning of our story, so it’s exciting to be coming back to it properly.
“We started Company Bakery because four people in hospitality saw a problem they wanted to solve. Tantallon is us taking that same thinking further back, to the farmers, the grain and the land.
“We talk about where our meat, vegetables and fish come from, but flour is still often treated as an anonymous commodity. Better bread starts long before the dough is mixed.
The new mill arrives as Company Bakery approaches its 10th anniversary following a period of significant growth.
Born from four friends working in Edinburgh’s hospitality scene, the business supplies bread, pastries, and other baked goods to cafés, restaurants and hotels across Scotland including Gleneagles Townhouse, UNALOME by Graeme Cheevers, The Royal Scotsman, Balintaggart, Restaurant Martin Wishart, Cairngorm Coffee and Origin Coffee.
Co-founder Duncan Findlater added: “While making this move was quite a big decision, it made complete sense to all of us - very much a 'back to the future' moment in a way. We are always looking at how we can continue to grow while challenging ourselves and making a positive impact within the communities where we operate. The plan is that Tantallon will allow us to do both!”
Work is now under way, with installation and commissioning taking place over the coming months ahead of trial milling in December and first flour entering Company Bakery production from February 2027.
Cabinet secretary for economy Stephen Flynn said: “Our food and drink sector is a vital part of Scotland's economy, and this funding will help businesses right across the country invest in the future.
“These grants will support innovation, boost productivity and help create sustainable jobs in communities from North Uist and Moray to Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders."
The new operation will include grain storage and handling facilities, specialist cleaning equipment, commercial stone mills, flour sifting, mixing and packaging equipment.”