SKAGIT, Wash — Just a little over an hour north of Seattle, you'll find Cairnspring Mills in Burlington, one of the few places in the country that isn't running short of flour.
How is this mill putting bread on the table when bigger operations are struggling? Filmmakers Taliesen Black-Brown and Ben Cowan had to mask up and practice social distancing to tell the story.
“Really just trying to respect the comfort levels of people and of everyone involved,” says Cowan,
What they discovered is a story about community. A farmer. The CEO of the mill. A baker. All living within ten miles of one another. All working together the way people did a hundred years ago when there were 24,000 mills in the country instead of the 166 remaining.
“When Corona hit we figured out how to sell direct to consumers from the mill,” says CEO Kevin Morse in the film. “We started an online store so people could pre-order, show up in their cars, be safe, keep practicing social distancing and buy flour at a really reasonable price.”
Taliesen Black-Brown had always heard about buying local. Making the film taught him what it means.
“I think buying local means that you're supporting relationships and it also means that you have a resilient supply chain because stuff doesn't have to come from Asia,” he says.
“It's like an old-fashioned barn raising,” adds Cowan. “The whole community comes together to make it all happen. It takes all the parties.”
“This is feasible,” says Morse. “It's realistic. You can grow a good business around core values and sustainability, good food and community. It's not just make-believe. It's not just an idea. That it's real and it can happen anywhere there's a group of people, entrepreneur, and a community willing to support them.”
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