CENTRAL MN MADE: Heim Milling Company Boast 5 Generations of Operations [AUDIO]

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ST. CLOUD - Our latest "Made in Central Minnesota" featured business is more than a business - it's a historic St. Cloud landmark.

The Heim Milling Company, located on Highway 1 in St. Cloud, was sold to the Heim family way back in 1900.

5 generations later, the antique building still has daily, ten-employee milling operations.

While the mill now focuses strictly on making pet and livestock feed, this wasn't always the case. In 1926, Heim Mill was generating around 200 barrels of human-grade flour for 16 hours every day. The flour business saw a decline, and in 1933, the mill switched to making feed supplies.

Bob Heim is the current mill operator, and the great-great grandson of founder George Heim. He says many people are unaware of the fact that the mill is still open - let alone that they sell their feed supplies right from the mill site.

Heim says they now produce over 60 kinds of feed, for everything from pets to livestock to game farm animals. They sell and ship within a roughly five-state, midwestern area, but product ingredients come from all over the world.

Heim says he's very proud of the fact that each employee of the mill has received extensive enough training to be able to talk about any one of their numerous feed lines.

While the mill is a full-time operation, the workforce is small. Heim says they currently have 10 employees. Turnover is scarce, too - the  average mill worker tenure is over 20 years.

What does Heim enjoy most about the job he's had for 31 years?  Getting to know a loyal clientele of farmers and other central Minnesotans, who he calls a "special breed."

Heim Milling Company is open to the public - the mill's shop sells pet and livestock feed Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Saturday from 8: a.m. to noon.