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About
Cook Natural Products
Our
History
CNP was
founded in San Francisco in 1908 as Cook Flour Company. Cook
operated as a Grain and
Flour trading company under control of the
Cook Family and one successor family until 1985 when present
ownership succeeded.
Our
Philosophy
 Over the past
20 years we have had the benefit of working with some of the most
accomplished bakers in the United States. These "Artisan Bakers"
as they are now being referred to in the popular media, have taught
us a great deal about flour and Specialty Grains.
It became abundantly
clear to us that we could not serve the "Specialty" baker or food
manufacturer with the generic milling response that prevailed in
our industry. In an attempt to give better service to our customers
we sought to learn more about the flour and grain we were providing
in our capacity as distributors for the major mills.
In time, we
developed a profile of the flour characteristics that a consensus
of world class artisan bakers believed to be important to their
baking success. These distinctive qualities, while important to
the Artisan baker, were not attainable from the traditional milling
sources whose customer base is largely dominated by the national
white pan bread bakers.
Cook Natural
Products has affiliated itself with a series of mills strategically
positioned in the grain producing regions of the United States.
These mills are large enough for milling efficiencies but small
enough to be able to do the "custom" milling required for the artisan
products.
Cook Natural
Products has developed relationships with a network of Organic and
Conventional producers in key grain producing regions. We have long
recognized that the biggest challenge facing the Organic end user
is the fragmented nature of the supply side of the equation. We
are encouraging more and more of our Organic producers to increase
their committed acreage, and insuring them a stable outlet for their
total annual production. In short we are developing a partnership
among our producers, Millers and end users.
The cornerstone
of our relationships is our willingness and ability to provide each
of our partners detailed and relevant information on a continuous
basis. Our web page is continually updated when we move from one
lot of product to another. Our distributors and their customers
are able to track in advance of receiving their product any variations
from previous lots. This dialogue has proven to be invaluable to
our customers.
Where
We Are
Cook Natural
Products strives to bridge the information gap between farmers and
bakers. Our flours are a result of an ongoing collaboration with
what bakers want and what farmers can do.
This goal is
a work in progress. We do not claim to have "magic" in
a bag. We do claim to give you, the baker, access to every possible
bit of information regarding the assembly of your flour. We expect
bakers to provide feedback on past and current performance, and
look forward to your participation on future wheat blends and flour
qualities.
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