LYNN — The organic, fresh-milled bagels from One Mighty Mill hit the shelves in Market Basket last week as the company expands its mills across the region.
The company already has its bagels in Whole Foods locations, and will now offer plain, everything, and cinnamon-raisin bagels at Market Basket.
The sales process for Market Basket is lengthy, but One Mighty Mill’s co-founder Chris Pape said the food store is very supportive of local businesses, which was one of the main reasons he wanted his bagels on the company’s shelves.
Another reason, Pape said, is that One Mighty Mill has a unique product in its fresh-milled bagels made from organic wheat.
“We’re not a boutique bakery,” Pape said. “We’re trying to make change at scale, which means building more mills and buying more organic wheat from organic farmers, all of which makes the world a healthier place for both humans and the planet.”
One Mighty Mill, which opened its first mill in Lynn in 2018, has since built three mills in Hyde Park and is building three more in New York as it continues to grow.
As its outreach expands, One Mighty Mill’s mission ― to change the flour world by making it healthier ― remains the same.
As bagel sales expands into more retail stores, the company needs more flour.
To do so, One Mighty Mill is building mills in communities close to organic farms and production facilities because it doesn’t want to build one large factory and truck the flour around, as that is not environmentally friendly.
“It’s also fresher. With perishable foods, when you stone mill, you don’t strip all of the good stuff out of the flour, (so) it’s a living food that goes bad,” Pape said.
Since the bagels at One Mighty Mill are fresh, the flour needs to get into an oven as quickly as it can so it doesn’t go bad, compared to most industrial bakers who can use flour that’s been sitting on the shelf since it’s been stripped of most of the living elements.
The fresh bagels are on display at Market Basket to share the company’s story and its commitment to locally-sourced, fresh ingredients.
Normally, Pape said, they would have samples of the bagels available, as trying them is the best way to draw in customers, but the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing that.
“Getting more people, especially within the regions we’re in right now, more access to our food is part of the goal, and Market Basket helps us do that in a big way,” Pape said. “We’re really excited to be with Market Basket.”
