World Grain - February 2017 - 28

FEATURE: ISRAEL'S LARGEST MILLER

Boaz attended the 33rd class (1987), Assa the 40th (1994) and
Omer the 59th (2016).
The family's cohesiveness is a valuable attribute given that
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environment. Diverse, often fractious populations, cultures and
traditions mix in what has been perhaps the world's most politically combustible region in recent decades. Not surprisingly,
the milling industry in the region does not entirely escape this
complexity.
It is against this backdrop that Stybel Flour Mills has risen
from its mid-sized status to become Israel's leading milling
company.
The complications overcome by Stybel to build the Ad
Halom mill echo many of the elements that make Israel such
a challenge. As Stybel worked to complete the project, the
company was in a race against time to close another mill
located in a neighborhood densely populated with Orthodox
Jews, contended with severe damage sustained in an accident at still another mill, fought government regulations and
endured two wars.
PARALLELS ISRAEL HISTORY
Stybel's history largely follows that of modern Israel, a nation established in 1948.
The company's origins stem from the popularity in the 1930s
of European baked foods.
"My grandfather, Ze'ev Stybel, came from Poland in the late

1920s and for many years was in another business," said Boaz
Turgeman.
Stybel came to Palestine at a time of seismic change. The land
had been part of the Ottoman Empire almost continuously since
1516 but was conquered during World War I by the British, who
were given a mandate over the territory in 1922 by the League
of Nations. It was in this environment that Stybel was trying to
establish a new life.
"Shortly before World War II, my grandfather visited Poland
to get advice on business," Boaz Turegman said. "He was told
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wanted the sourdough bread they enjoyed in Germany. They advised him to go to Germany, which he did."
There Stybel learned about the Steinmetz milling system,
which he brought back to Palestine. The stone milling system used proprietary technology to clean and pre-germinate
the wheat.
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contracted to bake whole wheat sourdough Steinmetz bread, a
popular brand at the time. An image of a young Ruth Stybel was
featured in a 1935 advertisement promoting Steinmetz bread.
Beyond capturing a share of the growing market for specialty
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possible to the British Mandate that was occupying Palestine,"
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from Australia before the war."
At the end of the war, Stybel expanded, purchasing a second
mill in Haifa with capacity to mill 40 tonnes of wheat per day.
The mill was equipped with Robinson/Simon milling machinery.
However whimsical his start at Stybel, Baruch Turgeman's
training could hardly have been more serious. A few years after
joining the milling company, he studied at the Milling School in
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"I went to Belfast (Ireland) as a trainee and helped restore
an old mill there," he said. From there he returned to Israel and
worked with his father-in-law, who continued active in the business until his death in 1982 at the age of 87.
SIX-DAY WAR ENLARGES MARKET
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in 1967 with the end of the Six-Day War. Israel captured and occupied the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt, respecWLYHO\DQGDVLJQL¿FDQWO\HQODUJHGSRSXODWLRQWRIHHG6XGGHQO\
Israeli millers faced a shortage of capacity. The heavily regulated
industry was given a green light by the government to expand.
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Turgeman said. "The government allowed Stybel to buy new
A rabbi conducts an inspection at the flour mill to ensure compliance with
kashruth (Jewish dietary laws).

February 2017 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

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World Grain - February 2017

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