FLOURIST
FLOURIST
“THIS IS NOT GROCERY STORE FLOUR”
When I first heard the Vancouver-based GRAIN was rebranding into Flourist and would soon open a brick and mortar location, the excitement was immense. This Canadian farm-direct grain and legume provider featured illustrations of their partnering farmers on each box alongside a brief biography and map showing where in the country the product came from. The small but expanding brand—which I first noticed for sale at The Birds and The Beets—was noticeably interested not only in how grains were grown, but how they're later processed.
The company’s rebranding is Part II of that story. Founders Shira McDermott and Janna Bishop admit they were, “frustrated at the lack of transparency and quality available when it came to the foods—namely grains, beans, and flours—we rely upon as our daily staples." Feeling that, more and more, people are returning to basic grains to cook with, there was room for a more wholesome product that wasn't currently offered elsewhere—most certainly not in the average grocery store. "Grocery store flour is a casualty of the over-industrialization of our food systems. [It’s] bleached, deconstructed, heated, and chemically altered," they explain.
So why not use the farm-direct grains they were already sourcing—and mill their own flour?
Cookbooks and other publications about baking on display at the Flourist on Commercial Street.
The Flourist’s Austrian stone mill.
Wheat stalks from the Canadian prairies.
The idea was sown; the next step was a deep-dive into the history and modern capabilities of milling. Due to the high quality of how the mill interacts with the dried grain, the girls landed on the stone-milling path. "Our hand-crafted Austrian stone mill slowly and gently crushes grain at a low temperature." This produces an aromatic, highly-nutritious flour. The mill grinds the entire grain kernel (germ, bran, and endosperm) all at once, so the flavour of the whole grain is maintained. After trying it, I can attest: It's delicious.
The café brings in local beer (Delta B.C.’s Four Winds) and natural, organic wine—as well as Vancouver-based Oddity Kombucha.
Bishop and McDermott’s mission was to offer a dry-goods source that focused on traceability: the ability to track food through all stages of production, processing, and distribution. A plan for a café-bakery-mill-and-market amalgamation unfolded: the duo wanted a place where the public could find premium, entirely traceable dry goods grown by Canadian farmers—as well as purchase flour that is stone-milled each day and a treat or two if desired. "We never stock flour in our warehouse," the young women explain.
Fresh flour available for sale at The Flourist.
Daily bread carefully kneaded, then baked by staff.
With an Austrian stone mill in tow, a location leased on Commercial Street, and a clear mandate, all the Flourist needed was an inviting interior that could speak to their fascination with the history of genuine flour. Design darling Ste. Marie was the obvious hire. Early release photography of the material samples and colour palettes posted by Ste. Marie on their Instagram account set interior design nerds into a frenzy. The image, taken by Conrad Brown Photography, was enrapturing. If a passion for flour didn't draw one in, perhaps stargazing at the details of this soon-to-be room would.
After walking into Flourist Mill & Bakery for our first time, as my head spun in every direction eager to take it all in, a woman wearing an apron and holding a cloth—still damp from cleaning tables—approached us. She began explaining what is typically done to industrialized flour. Chemicals and whitening agents are added by large scale commercial millers. Here, this process is uniquely avoided. After meeting her again later, I realized that the woman had been Shira McDermott. It was nice to see that after such a successful launch and so much hype around the Flourist, she was still getting her hands messy in her own shop.
Noticing a sign above an in-store fridge stating, "this is not grocery store flour," I inquired again about this message. The pair explained to me that Canadian commercial flour producers are authorized to use 'bleaching, maturing or dough conditioning agents' in the production of grocery store flour. "That list of permitted agents includes: Acetone Peroxide, Ammonium Persulphate, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Benzoyl Peroxide, Chlorine, and Chlorine Dioxide."
Even more shocking? The amount of use of these agents is limited only by the regulation which reads: “good manufacturing practice.”
Good? Hardly.
Beautiful entryway display curated by Ste. Marie design.
Feta and squash galette, baked daily.
My first item was a spinach galette which was baked fresh that morning with flour stone-milled right beside the counter I purchased the pastry. Both mouthfeel and flavor were astounding. I returned the next day and bought two. Later that week, I was told by an employee that this version of the galette wasn't available. There wasn't much explanation as she pointed me to more options: potato, mushroom, or apple. I bought an apple galette—heavenly. McDermott later explained to me that the quality of spinach they were able to source in the season we were entering wasn't up to their biodiverse farm-direct standards. Speak no more; I'm already enamoured.
So why does this flour taste so much better? "Industrial flour producers remove portions of the grain that [can] lead to rancidity, namely the germ, which contains nutritious b-vitamins, antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids." McDermott and Bishop tell. Flour sold in grocery stores must be what is called shelf-stable. "That is: the product must not degrade in quality during the time it takes for the batch to be shipped from the mill to the distribution warehouse—and then to the grocery store."
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency permits up to five percent of the wheat kernel to be removed from whole wheat flours, “which includes much of the germ and some of the bran—to prolong the shelf life of flour,” so it can sit even longer in the grocery store aisle. That process is unnecessary at the Flourist, and judging by the buzz noticeable even on a Tuesday morning, their goods are a hit.
When the Flourist had to shift operations to fit government-mandated social-distancing measures, they began offering orders online for either delivery or pick-up. Above: the line-up just after 10:00 am.
When COVID-19 hit hospitals, homes, and offices across Vancouver, like all cafés in the city, the Flourist had to rejig its operation. Gone was the option for a coffee and pastry in the stunning East Van room, but left for patrons was the option to pre-order pastries or flour online. Pandemic bakers didn't only hit grocery stores, they also flocked to Flourist.
Reading too briefly (perhaps due to overexcitement) on their Instagram account that the Flourist was open for socially-distanced sales from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, I had my fiancé drive me up the street after a visit to Commercial Drive’s Pasture 2 Plate. I quickly realized that the post mentioned online purchases started at 9:00 am and pick-up was available the day after you order from the website.
What happened next is testament to the popularity of the grains these two entrepreneurs have so diligently found a niche for: The flour was sold out before 3:00 pm. So I set an alarm the next morning for 9:00 am and—after only 15 minutes—most of the daily milled flour had already sold out. Fortunately, I snagged a 2 kg bag of their Organic Whole Grain Red Spring Wheat Flour. The next day, pick-up was smooth sailing.
Flour and other online orders ready for pick-up.
Carrot-rhubarb-applesauce muffins I made with Flourist flour.
My quarantine has since been filled with baking Red Spring Flour muffins of every sort: carrot-rhubarb-applesauce muffins and apricot-walnut-chia muffins as just a couple of examples. Although I miss visiting the beautiful café in East Van, I couldn't be happier to wake up to these small Flourist treats each morning. We’ll be patiently waiting for the mill and bakery’s reopen—and for now, make sure to set your 9:00 am pre-order alert.
Words & photos by Tracy Giesz-Ramsay
