Arva Flour Mills Set to Revitalize its Red River Cereal Brand

Arva Flour Mills, North America’s oildes operating water-powered commercial flour mill, has acquired the Red River Cereal brand from Smucker Foods of Canada Corp. a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Co.

Red River Cereal is a hot cereal made from a blend of cracked wheat, brown flaxseeds, and rye, and it was created in 1924 in the Manitoba region, Canada, and got its name from the valley surrounding Winnipeg. The cereal was initially manufactured by the Red River Grain Co., and it was then taken over by Maple Leaf Milling Co. in 1928.

In 2011, the recipe was changed to include steel cut wheat and rye. However the mills plan to reverse back to the original recipe, and produce the cereal onsite. Arva Flour Mills is also in the process of acquiring a hammer mill to creak rye, wheat, and flax ingredients, as cracking the grains mainly results in creamy texture.

Mark Rinker, owner of Arva Flour Mills, said since the acquisition, hardly a day went by at their retail store without a customer asking if they carried Red River Cereal. He said this has prompted their initial research, and they soon came to the decision that this brand, which is nearly a century old will be a natural fit with the historic Arva Flour Mills brand.

Mark Rinker added that the mill also plans to launch the cereal at its onsite retail store, with the rollout into the other retail locations projected for coming months of 2022.