The craft flour pioneer adds a landmark climate milestone to its mission of rebuilding regenerative food systems from the ground up
BURLINGTON, WA / ACCESS Newswire / March 19, 2026 / Cairnspring Mills, a Pacific Northwest craft flour pioneer, has earned The Climate Label certification. Cairnspring is the first and only flour company in the world to receive the distinction. The achievement marks a major milestone for a company that has, since its founding in 2016, built its entire model around the principle that what's good for the land, farmers, and communities can also be good for business.
The Climate Label, administered by The Change Climate Project, is a trusted mark of corporate climate leadership. Certification requires companies to measure cradle-to-customer greenhouse gas emissions annually, establish a Climate Transition Budget, and fund a meaningful mix of climate projects within and beyond their value chain. No flour company had ever achieved it-until now.
"Earning the label reflects the way we've chosen to build this company," said Kevin Morse, Co-Founder and CEO of Cairnspring Mills. "Adding value and good stewardship are founding principles of Cairnspring. It starts with farmers who are rebuilding their soil and trying to step off the commodity treadmill. We pay premiums that help make that possible, and then we mill in a way that keeps the whole grain intact and connected to the people baking with it. When you build the system that way, what's better for farmers and their land is also better for the climate."
Cairnspring sources grain exclusively from Pacific Northwest farmers committed to regenerative methods including crop rotation, animal integration, and no-till practices that rebuild soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce or eliminate synthetic inputs. Every lot is identity-preserved and fully traceable to the grower. Unlike industrial mills that strip grain of its nutritional layers, Cairnspring stone-mills in small batches to intentionally incorporate the bran and germ, producing flour that is naturally nutritious, aromatic, and distinctive in flavor-never bleached, bromated, or artificially enriched.
The result is flour that is living proof that farming for the climate and milling for flavor are not competing priorities, they are one in the same. "The flour from Cairnspring Mills is the best flour we have ever used. We use it almost exclusively," said Chad Robertson, co-founder of Tartine.
"Action on climate change is essential and possible, and resonates with consumers," said Austin Whitman, CEO of The Change Climate Project. "Cairnspring Mills has woven climate action and accountability into the fabric of their company, not as an afterthought. They are among a unique group of climate leaders that choose to factor the costs of climate change into their business and, in doing so, earn The Climate Label certification. Every certified company has its own climate story to tell, and we are proud to welcome Cairnspring as pioneers in their industry."
The certification arrives as Cairnspring prepares to expand milling capacity twelvefold. Construction is underway on Cairnspring's second mill, the Blue Mountain Mill-a 27,000-square-foot facility in Pendleton, Oregon, built in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Set to be operational by Q3 2026, the new mill will create more than 20 local living-wage jobs and generate over $22 million in annual income for regenerative farmers across roughly 50,000 acres, anchoring a regional supply chain that connects Pacific Northwest growers to bakers and food companies nationwide. Cairnspring is now taking orders and onboarding new customers drawn to its identity-preserved, terroir-driven flour, fully traceable from field to mill.
About Cairnspring Mills: Cairnspring Mills is helping to pioneer the craft flour movement with a mission to rebuild food systems, support farmers, and nourish communities with clean, healthy, flavorful grains and flour. Founded in Washington's Skagit Valley in 2016, the company partners directly with Pacific Northwest growers who use regenerative practices that restore soil health and long-term farm viability. Every lot of grain is identity-preserved, stone-milled in small batches, and crafted to intentionally incorporate the bran and germ, resulting in flour that is fresher, naturally nutritious, and alive with flavor. By proving flour can be full of flavor and economically resilient, Cairnspring offers a new model for 21st-century food production-one that regionalizes supply chains, restores ecosystems, contributes to community resilience and shares value more equitably across farmers, bakers, and communities. For more information, visit cairnspring.com or follow along on Instagram.
Media Contact: Lani Free, Greenheart Communications Collective (CairnspringPR@greenheartcollective.com)
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SOURCE: Cairnspring Mills
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/cairnspring-mills-becomes-first-flour-company-to-earn-the-climate-label-1149161
