For more than 20 years, Continental Mills has had its chalky imprint in Hopkinsville and Christian County — as local flour gets pumped, pressed, packaged and proliferated throughout the country in the form of pancakes, muffins, cornbreads, brownies and biscuits.
Now, on the company’s 90th birthday, Continental Mills is becoming “The Krusteaz Company,” in what is an homage and celebration of the organization’s rich, flavorful heritage and history.
Kevin Maynard, Hopkinsville plant manager for Continental Mills, said the re-branding decision stems from Rose Charters — whose 1930s, easy-to-make, just-add-water pie crust called “Krusteaz” helped jumpstart the very first product off the line.
Fast forward to now, and “Krusteaz” products are some of the most recognizable on local, regional and national store shelves.
Indeed, the Christian County facility has deep roots in the community. Its neighbor, Siemer Milling, is a local wheat buyer and flour producer. That flour is then directly transported through a pipeline connecting the campuses, before it’s sifted in six blending systems and eight packaging lines.
Instead of bringing in an average of 3,650 trucks of flour per year to the plant, Maynard said this symbiotic relationship only further strengthens both company’s capabilities.
That’s only one piece of the connectivity. From local workers, to local farmers, to local millers, to the public, the soon to be “Krusteaz Company” in Christian County both directly and indirectly affects regional commerce.
A 24-7 operation on a 2-2-3 rotation, Maynard added that four crews help create the company’s full production in Hopkinsville. Its flagship retail product is a two-pound, blue box of “Krusteaz” pancakes, but also includes muffins, cookies and a host of licensing partnerships with companies like Red Lobster and Ghirardelli.
One step into Hopkinsville’s facility, and the smells of grandma’s kitchen will overload anyone’s olfactory system. Maynard said that’s a rare advantage in the industrial world.
A military transfer reared and raised in Christian County, Jessica Toombs opted to stay and work here — and specifically for Continental Mills and Krusteaz.
Working along a “Honey Cornbread” packing line, Toombs described the process of taking raw materials and making them customer ready.
This production has only increased throughout the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While restaurants struggled to keep doors open, domestic households and families were driven to cook more at home.
So, naturally, Maynard said this led to a rise in the need for baking products.
Furthermore, through a push in local tourism and Visit Hopkinsville, this area now has earned the moniker of “Batter Capital of the World.”
For the state’s leading wheat producer and second-largest county in the Commonwealth, Maynard said this nod felt fitting.
A birthday celebration for the company is coming later this month.
Golden Cornbread Comes Down The Line:
