Esca Bona supplier hero: New Hope Mills and Russell Farms

New Hope Mills celebrated its 195^th anniversary in 2018, which says a lot about its dedication to its community and environment. A third-generation, family-owned business, New Hope Mills was founded in 1823 and currently operates in Auburn, New York. Its headquarters, production facility, store and café are all located there.

The mill no longer produces flour, but it does churn out 27 varieties of pancake mixes, cookie mixes and other dry mix goods. The mixes sell mostly in the Northeast but are sold in country-style stores throughout the East Coast as well. It also packs goods for Russell Farms, among other clients.

Russell Farms has operated in the Hudson River Valley since 1976 and is family-owned, too. The current owner took the reins from the founder, her grandfather.

Dale Weed, previous New Hope Mills owner and father of the current mill owner, worked with Russell Farms’ owner’s daughter to create a copacking relationship in 1995 that’s lasted for two generations.

“New Hope Mills approached us about packing our private label pancake mix, and we have been doing business with them ever since,” said Patricia Marks of Russell Farms. “They are a small, family-run business like ours. You know everyone’s name that works there. They are friendly, they don’t treat you like you’re a number, and they care about the quality of the product that they sell. It isn’t like an assembly line of machines that have no feelings.”

Lindsay Frye, marketing associate, New Hope Mills, echoed this praise.

“We've been in business with them for so long that we know who they are,” she said. “We've worked together and supported each other in the good times and the bad.”

Learn more about New Hope Mills and Russell Farms in INSIDER’s co-packing digital magazine.