Flour powers mill to century milestone

TRENCH Street Mill, run by Allied Pinnacle, has celebrated a century of operation in Ballarat.

The mill is one of only four major flour mills left in Victoria with the end product supplying bakeries throughout the region and to other areas of Australia.

A quarter of the mill’s employees have worked at the location for 30 years or more, and even current mayor of the City of Ballarat Cr Des Hudson worked there, as well as his father.

“I worked at the flour mill in the quality control laboratory, after I finished VCE in 1987, until I went on to join Victoria Police in 1989,” he said.

“My father George Hudson worked at the flour mill, in charge of the silos and grain receiving for 33 years, while my elder brother Danny, grandfather George Hudson Senior and two uncles, all had periods of employment at the flour mill.”

The current site manager Paul Panozzo has worked at the mill for 32 years and said it’s exciting to celebrate a century of operation.

“The Ballarat mill has a number of long-term employees, so the centenary means a lot,” he said.

“Throughout our long and historic tenure, we have faced challenges, disruption, and uncertainty, which we have managed to overcome.

“This is due to the wonderful Ballarat community and of course the incredible staff, past and present who carry great pride in work they do.”

The mill has been operated by Allied Pinnacle for the last six years and has shifted from milling different mixes to a focus on organic, rye, and durum flour.