QUINCY, MI (WTVB) – Star of the West Milling is the 2015 Michigan Agriculture Exporter of the Year. The company’s Branch County flour mill in Quincy is one of five Star of the West mills for the firm that is headquartered in Frankenmuth. Star of the West Milling Company achieved an impressive 27% growth in export sales from 2013 to 2014. There is an increasing demand for Michigan grown and produced food and agriculture products from across the globe as income levels around the world continue to grow.
Star of the West has a rich Michigan history, established in 1870 and began exporting in the early 1970’s. The privately held corporation expanded over the years to include five flour mills and 13 grain and bean elevators. A major export for the company is dry beans, including black, navy, and small red varieties, as well as edible soybeans, and soft white and soft red winter wheat. The company exports to Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, Japan, Malta, and South Korea. Most recently they expanded export activity into Italy, South Africa, and Columbia.
Michigan is currently second in the nation for agricultural diversity, producing over 300 agricultural commodities, exporting one-third of those commodities every year. Michigan food and agriculture exports totaled $3.53 billion in 2013 according to USDA figures and employ more than 29,000 residents.
