Keith Giusto expands artisan flour facility in Petaluma

New Southpoint location has office space, retail potential

PETALUMA -- A year and a half after noted artisan baker Keith Giusto set up a Bay Area distribution arm here for a large Utah group of flour mills and seed companies targeting the natural-foods market, Keith Giusto Bakery Supply is expanding.

The company, a subsidiary of Central Milling Co. of Logan, Utah, signed a five-year lease for about 15,000 square feet of warehouse and office space at 755 Southpoint Blvd. in Petaluma.

The new location is the same size as the current facility at 1129 Industrial Ave., but it has 2,000 square feet of office space and potential for retail sales at some point, according to Mr. Giusto's nephew "Nicky" Giusto, who runs the operation.

About 800 square feet of the office space is being prepared for an informal bakery lab and technology school.

"Other bakers in this area or around the country that use our product can do R&D work, or if we have new products we can showcase them to customers," he said.

Central Milling has three mills – Central Milling, Gilt Edge and Wheatland – and Wheatland Seed Co., which supplies heirloom seeds and grain berries, bran and crushed kernels.

The group produces flour used in organic breads under Whole Foods Market's 365, Safeway's O and Trader Joe's brands.

Locally, the company distributes 50 types of organic and natural flour and grains to larger baking companies such as Acme Bread and Bay Bread Group and boutique bakeries including Point Reyes, Keith Giusto's Full Circle in Penngrove, Grindstone in Santa Rosa and Model in Napa.

The distributorship was established at a time when Giusto family members working at Central Milling and 70-year-old Giusto's Specialty Foods & Flour Mills of South San Francisco were looking to distinguish themselves from each other after some years of close company connections, according to Nicky Giusto.

Woodman Construction of Petaluma is the general contractor on the tenant improvements, designed by James McCalligan Architects of Santa Rosa.

Matt Brown of Meridian Commercial represented Keith Giusto Bakery Supply in the lease deal. Trevor Buck of Cassidy Turley BT Commercial represented the building owner.

For more information, call 707-778-1073 or visit www.centralmilling.com.

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