World Grain - September 2024 - 34

FEATURE: ROYAL FAMILY
when they purchased the Superior Mill for $20,000 in a
bankruptcy proceeding.
Every decade has had its challenges, but the 1940s
were perhaps the most tumultuous period in King
Milling history. During this time, William Doyle,
Brian's grandfather, oversaw the company.
On March 7, 1943, King Milling's Superior Mill was
destroyed by fire, along with thousands of bushels of
wheat. The temperature on the day of the fire was -18°
F, and the water sprayed on the building by firefighters
froze almost immediately upon impact.
Facing building supply shortages due to World War
II, William Doyle had to travel to Washington, DC, to
obtain permits to rebuild.
" Flour was a necessary food product, so grandpa
was able to get permits to buy steel, " Brian said. " We
were given permission because the food needed to be
King Milling:
THROUGH THE YEARS
1847 - The first flour mill in Lowell, Michigan,
known as the Forrest Mill, was built on the
east bank of the Flat River.
1867 - Another flour mill, known as the Superior
Mill, was built on the west bank.
1890 - The King Milling Co. was born after
the Superior Mill filed for bankruptcy and
was purchased by a local lumber company
owned by Francis King, his son Frank T.
King, and several other men. Another local
lumberman, Thomas Doyle, purchased
part ownership of King Milling and his three
sons - Charles, Renis and William - went
to work for the company.
1936 - William Doyle assumes management
of the company.
1943 - The Superior Mill burns to the ground.
1945 - A new state-of-the-art mill is completed
with the most modern milling equipment
of the time.
1945 - William Doyle dies 10 days after the
mill is built; sons King and Mike assume
ownership.
1960s - Converts from bucket elevator flour
conveying system to pneumatics.
1960s - Develops and implements wheat
heating process that deactivates enzymes,
enhancing shelf life.
1978 - Becomes one of the first flour mills to
apply color sorting technology.
From left:
Patrick Doyle,
King Milling's
executive vice
president;
Brian Doyle,
chairman; and
Jim Doyle,
president.
produced. Once World War II ended and the whole
world was devastated, our mill produced a tremendous
amount of flour that was sent overseas. "
The rebuild was complicated by the reality that many
of Lowell's most able-bodied men were overseas taking
part in the war effort.
" They had to find older men to do the rebuild, " Brian
said. " A lot of them were farmers who worked on their
farms by day and then came into town to do a shift and
hand-mix concrete. They did it in the same number of
days that Todd & Sargent just poured this one (the D
mill). The jacks were hand-cranked. Those guys were
animals. I can't imagine. "
The wooden mill was replaced with a new concrete
mill with the most technologically advanced milling
equipment available.
Then came a tragic twist: only 10 days after com34
1995
- Brian Doyle becomes president, Jim
Doyle senior vice president and Stephen
Doyle vice president.
2004 - A fifth floor is added to the mill,
bringing capacity up to 8,000 cwts per day.
2010 - Becomes the first flour mill in the
world to become SQF certified.
2013 - The B mill is built, adding 5,000 cwts
of capacity.
2017 - 800,000 bushels of additional grain
storage and drying capacity is added.
2019 - An automated packaging system is
added to pack products in 25- and 50-pound
bags as well as 2,000-pound supersacks.
2023 - A new D mill is completed and begins
production, expanding the plant's flour
production capacity by 8,000 cwts.
September 2024 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - September 2024

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