World Grain - January 2023 - 28

HISTORIC BRITISH
MILLING COMPANY
invests in its future
by Arvin Donley
GR Wright and
Sons' new flour
mill in Harlow,
England, can
process up to
450 tonnes of
wheat per day.
K
eeping a family business operating for 155 years in
a highly competitive industry is a remarkable feat
that requires continuous dedication and progressive
leadership by each generation that manages the business.
In the case of GR Wright and Sons, which for the last
40 years has been led by David Wright as managing director,
having a passion for flour milling has been the
common thread during the nearly 16 decades of uninterrupted
excellence.
" We are as passionate about the business as our ancestors
and have invested heavily to ensure we have
the most technically advanced operations producing the
highest quality flours and mixes in the best food safety
environment, " said David Wright, the fifth generation of
the Wright family to oversee the business.
The company is based in Harlow, England, where it
opened a state-of-the-art flour mill in 2021 on a brownfield
site. It also operates a small specialist flour mill in
Ponders End, where the family business started in 1867
and where flour has been milled for nearly 1,000 years.
GR Wright and Sons has another site, which opened in
2014, located at Delta Park, England. It features a purpose-built
blending and packing facility for the manufacture
of specialist mixes.
" We supply a complete range of flours and baking
mixes to suit every type of business from the largest in28
dustrial
food manufacturers to the small artisan bakers, "
David Wright said. " We deal with all the main retailers
in the UK, and most of the main wholesalers distributing
to catering companies, shops and fast-food outlets.
" We make a full range of high-quality flours with superior
baking qualities for a wide range of finished products
such as bread, chapatti, naan, pizza, pitta, bagels,
artisan sourdoughs, as well as self-raising and culinary
flours. Some of our products are brand leaders in the
flour market and many are used to make brand-leading
baked goods. "
The company, which was founded by David's greatgreat
grandfather, George Wright, eventually will be in
the capable hands of 33-year-old James Wright, David's
son and currently the company's commercial director.
James Wright, the sixth generation of the family in
a leadership position with the company, spent his first
10 years in production, like his father starting as a milling
student at the Swiss Milling School in St. Gallen,
Switzerland, before becoming production director at GR
Wright and Sons.
Major investment in new technology
In one of the most important decisions in the company's
history, David and James decided, after considering
building the new mill at the existing location in
January 2023 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
GR Wright and
Sons spends
£47 million on
new, state-ofthe-art
flour mill
Photo courtesy of James Wright@thelondonmillers
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - January 2023

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