Barton Springs Mill
STONE-GROUND FLOUR and HERITAGE WHOLE GRAINS
You'll love baking with these.
100% guaranteed.
Origin Story & Identity
What’s the story behind Barton Springs Mill?
After a 30-year career as a classical musician and church music director, James Brown became obsessed with baking bread and realized he couldn't find the quality of flour he needed in Texas. In 2016, he bought a mill, connected with organic farmers across the state, and opened Barton Springs Mill to bring heritage and landrace grains back to Texas for the first time in over a century.
BSM is a licensed food manufacturer at both state and federal levels and is certified organic by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers).
Fun Fact:
James spent years playing viola da gamba and running Austin's St. Cecilia Music Series, bringing the same passion for preserving forgotten Renaissance music to reviving forgotten grains.What do you grow/produce?
Barton Springs Mill partners with farmers across Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, and beyond to source organic heritage grains, producing over 150 stone-milled products from whole grains to flours in various extractions for baking, cooking, and home-milling.
What are y’all most proud of producing?
BSM is most proud of producing beautiful fresh stone-milled flour from organically grown heritage grain varieties.
Shop Barton Springs Mill
Organic Long Grain Rice - Brown or White (1lb)
Organic Long Grain Rice - Brown or White (1lb)
$4.00 USD
Sale price
$4.00 USD
Regular price
Farming Philosophy & Practices
BSM believes in preserving agricultural biodiversity by reviving heritage and landrace grains that have been lost to industrial monoculture, while building true partnerships with organic farmers across the region.
We act as seedsmen, providing farmers with rare seed stock and then purchasing their entire harvest, taking on as much risk and responsibility as possible so farmers can focus on what they do best—growing exceptional grain using sustainable practices that care for the land.
What’s something about your practices that most people don’t know — but should?
All of Barton Springs Mill's processing waste and milling byproducts go directly to local regenerative farmers as nutrient-rich animal feed, creating a closed-loop system that supports the broader agricultural community.
What’s the biggest challenge of growing food the way you do?
The biggest challenge is managing variables beyond our control such as hailstorms, fires, droughts, and flocks of hungry sand hill cranes. Additionally, estimating future grain needs during planting season requires balancing sales data and production history with unpredictable factors like shifting market trends, social media-driven demand spikes, and major events like pandemics.
Daily Life & Personal Connection to the Work
What’s your favorite part of the work you do every day?
We love connecting with professional chefs, bakers, brewers, distillers, and home bakers and cooks who truly appreciate the quality and flavor of heritage grains and where they come from.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy something you produce?
Pancakes are a fun and easy way to taste the BSM "grainbow”! We like to try different flours to discover how each grain brings its own unique flavor and color to the table. Check out our Perfect Pancakes recipe at the BSM website for a simple base recipe that works with any of our stone-milled flours.
What are you excited to grow, offer, or dream up for the future of BSM?
BSM is excited to continue expanding our education program with more classes and workshops that connect people to the story of grain. We're continuing to revive rare heirloom varieties and experiment with new grains that thrive in Texas, strengthening biodiversity in our regional food system.
Organic Stone-Milled All-Purpose Flour Standard (2.5lb)
Organic Stone-Milled All-Purpose Flour Standard (2.5lb)
$13.00 USD
Sale price
$13.00 USD
Regular price
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