About Us

The Congaree Milling Company is a gristmill producing USDA Certified Organic stone-ground grain products at 1629 Bluff Road in Arthurtown, just outside of the city of Columbia, South Carolina. It is our goal to provide the best organic grain products that can be bought on the market today. Our stone-burr mills are dedicated to organic corn and organic oats respectively. Our freshly milled, domestic, unenriched, organic, whole-grain corn products are processed in ways that are both ancient and modern - ways that utilize the inherent nutrition in maize while simultaneously enhancing flavor. 

Our products include grits, hominy grits, cornmeal, polenta, and corn flour from organic corn. All of our products are milled from USDA certified organic, domestically grown corn. We grind and nixtamalize organic white corn, organic yellow corn, and organic blue corn.  Additionally, we also mill oats. All from certified organic grain.

 

 

 

What Makes Us Unique

Small Beginnings

The Congaree Milling Company started in 2013 as a partnership, but in 2015 Ken DuBard bought out his business partner and struck out alone. Ken was fortunate to have the assistance of a local restaurateur who let him use his commercial kitchen as a milling facility after hours. This arrangement continued until 2017 when Ken Leased the current space in Arthurtown.  

Volunteer and Charity Work

Anyone with corn and a mill can mill grits and cornmeal. To differentiate my mill form others I have made civic duty and charitable work an integral part of our company.  Recently I have helped Foodshare SC. I volunteer there packing food boxes that go to families here in the Midlands of South Carolina. Another  cause I have helped extensively is the Harvest Hope Food Bank - not only through food donations, but also through volunteering. Another organization I have helped is Sustainable Midlands, through volunteering at numerous events, including recycling at the Five Points St. Patrick's Day Festival, and The Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival.  Additionally, I have helped rebuilding efforts in Columbia with SBP, and organization that endeavors to shorten disaster recovery times. These are not mere tax write-offs, but commitments of time that bring me close to my neighbors through volunteer work. I will be blogging about our activities, and we will keep you posted on our new products, recipes, and charitable causes we support. 

 

Sustainability

I also utilize all available recycling opportunities at The Congaree Milling Company. Additionally, I moved into my very own facility November of 2019, and this has given me opportunities to make strides in sustainability the weren't possible in a shared facility. In addition to streamlining our recycling program, we now have an on-site vegetable garden and composting program!

These are tangible, real world steps toward resource conservation that not only reflect my values, but serve to diversify my business and eventually improve the "bottom line." We will do all we can to keep South Carolina a great place to live, and we aim to make it even better here in Arthurtown, SC.

 For a summary of my efforts, check out my blog here.

 

Nixtamalization

Another unique aspect of The Congaree Milling Company is my love of the Native American process of nixtamalization. Nixtamal is an exotic word for a common American food. Among the many foods we eat every day that contain nixtamal are (corn) tortillas, tamales, and hominy. Nixtamalization goes hand-in-hand with maize. It is a simple way to enhance the nutrition in corn, while also creating a unique and robust flavor profile. A very good summary of the process and qualities of nixtamal can be found here. No other mill in the U.S. currently manufactures Hominy Grits

We are proud members of the South Carolina Specialty Foods Association. Visit their website here.

 

About My Products

For the best flavor, freeze our products when you get them if you aren't going to cook them in the near future. They will stay fresh there for several months. I will give guidance through recipes and advice, but once you buy my stuff, you are welcome to experiment. However, realize that this is not enriched self-rising product designed for price and shelf-life. The best place to store our products is the freezer. Use your best judgement and common sense when using my products. I want you to enjoy every part of the experience of cooking my products!

I have an RVC issued by The South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

I recently obtained my USDA Organic Certification.

Please contact me at my email if you have any questions or comments. Thanks again for choosing The Congaree Milling Company!

My email is kendubard@thecongareemillingcompany.com.