About the King Arthur Flour company
Why every bag counts
Making naturally pure and consistently performing flour for over 200 years is no easy task, but we take such pride in our flour that we wouldn't have it any other way. We're motivated by knowing that every day, people across the country count on our flour - on us - to make their baking the best it can be. And as an employee-owned company, that's a responsibility every single one of us takes very seriously. See what makes us great; learn about our company, our people, our town.
What sets us apart?
There are four major qualities that set us apart from our larger competitors, enabling us to outpace them, the industry, and the overall economy.
- First, we have an earned respect. There is a sense that our enterprise is special in what it stands for, what it does, and how we do it. This shows itself in the uncommon efforts and contributions - not only from those who work here, but also those with whom we work.
- Second, we have honest enthusiasm that spills over to those with whom we do business - from current and prospective employees, to customers and suppliers.
- Third, we have a culture of inclusiveness. We communicate just about everything to everyone in our organization, empowering them as partners in our endeavor. Strategies, plans, ambitions, and challenges aren't restricted to small circles behind closed doors - they're known, understood, and appreciated throughout our company.
- Fourth, making money in itself is not our highest priority. We view profit and wealth-creation as inevitable byproducts of doing things well.
Did you know…
We are America’s oldest flour company, founded in 1790. To put it into context, George Washington had just been elected to his first term in office.
King Arthur Flour became an employee-owned company in 1996, when Frank Sands instated the employee stock ownership program (ESOP). We are now 100% employee-owned, and have always been 100% committed to quality.
Our headquarters in Norwich, Vermont, is a 16,600-square-foot timber-frame structure called, appropriately, Camelot. Vermont Public Radio also calls Camelot home.
Our combined annual sales are approximately $70,000,000.
Our employees
We had five employees in 1990. Today, King Arthur Flour has over 160. We are an employee-owned, open-book, team-managed company, with profit sharing and an employee stock ownership program. Our employees have a stake in what we do, and it shows in every bag of flour.
Our customers
From Maine to Hawaii, our customers feel that they have a personal relationship with King Arthur Flour. They have incredible loyalty to us and to our products, not to mention a sincere enthusiasm that is constantly generating additional customers. Many bakers consider a visit to The Baker’s Store in Vermont a veritable pilgrimage.
Our products & services
Whether it's King Arthur Flour or other items in the supermarket, on our online shopping site, or in our mail-order catalogue or retail store, our products are of the highest quality. We stand behind everything we sell with a money-back satisfaction guarantee.
Flour sold to bakeries
We've had tremendous growth to commercial businesses throughout the country, with distribution of 50-pound bags to bakeries and foodservice customers located from coast to coast.
Flour sold to supermarkets
In 1993 King Arthur Flour was sold in 11 states. Today, it can be found in all 50 states. Not only is King Arthur Flour the number-one selling flour in New England, it is the number-one selling unbleached flour in every market where we have full distribution. King Arthur Flour is also proud to offer the nation's top-selling whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, unbleached bread flour, organic all-purpose flour, organic whole wheat flour, and organic white whole wheat flour.
kingarthurflour.com
Our Web site is a robust resource for home and professional bakers, offering everything from products to recipes to online baking tutorials. Visitors can enjoy easy online shopping for thousands of new, classic, and hard-to-find ingredients, baking mixes, and kitchen tools; a free archive of more than 1,200 tested and trusted recipes; a blog that offers regular peeks into the King Arthur test kitchen and recipes with step-by-step instructions and photos; a wealth of basic baking tips and ingredient information; free online baking classes; signup for a free email newsletter, and more.
Mail-order catalogue
In 1990, black & white, digest-size catalogues were mailed to approximately 250,000 households. This year, over 6 million full-color, full-sized catalogues will be mailed. King Arthur Flour - the Baker's Catalogue is the largest-circulation catalogue for home bakers.
Retail store
In 1993, our store was 144 square feet in size, with gross sales of $48,000. Today, The Baker’s Store is 4,000 square feet in size, with gross sales of over $3,000,000. Visitors are immersed in the world of home baking, assisted by our friendly and knowledgeable staff.
The Baker’s Store here in Norwich, Vermont, is a destination for the home baking enthusiast looking for both new and classic baking products, resources, and tools. Customers can treat themselves to our award-winning breads and pastries, made right next door at the King Arthur Bakery, headed by Certified Master Baker Jeffrey Hamelman. Classes available at our on-site Baking Education Center round out the home baking experience that makes us the premier baking resource. And it isn't all local folks coming through the door either - about half of the store's 250,000 annual visitors are from states other than Vermont and New Hampshire.
Public relations & marketing
King Arthur Flour, its catalogue, and kingarthurflour.com are recognized as essential baking resources by food writers, cookbook authors, top chefs, and culinary personalities alike. We always make ourselves available to members of the culinary community to give information, ingredients, products, recipes, and interviews.
We stay up to date on current trends and issues affecting our field through participation in organizations such as The Bread Bakers Guild of America, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Retail Bakers of America, and the Home Baking Association. We further add to our consumer recognition as a home-baking authority with regular media coverage, advertising in national magazines, and support of PBS programs like Ciao Italia, Sara's Weeknight Meals, and Joanne Weir's Cooking School. More...
