The late Bob Moore’s interest in whole grain nutrition was inspired by two things: a delicious loaf of whole grain bread baked by his wife, Charlee, and the book John Goffe’s Mill. 

“Now, this book was printed about 1940, and I found it about 1955,” said Bob. “This gentleman inherited a mill. It was sitting there derelict, and he decided he would go claim his inheritance. And the story goes about him getting the mill going, the water wheel, the old millstones, and he began making whole wheat flour, whole corn meal, wonderful whole grain products. And gosh, it went really well!”

Inspired to learn all about stone milling, Bob founded Moores’ Flour Mill in 1974 in Redding, California with his wife, Charlee, and two of their sons. “In Fansville, North Carolina, I found a mill, and I bought three sets of millstones, and brought them out to California where we were, and put them to work. That’s how this thing started, and it has never slowed down!”

After establishing Moores’ Flour Mill, Bob and Charlee left it to the kids and moved to Milwaukie, Oregon, intending to retire and attend seminary school. But on a walk one day, they happened upon an old mill for sale. That led to founding Bob’s Red Mill in 1978.