In 1947 Centennial Flour Mills was completely destroyed by a fire, for some time, Centennial was unsure whether they would rebuild. General Mills was hoping to acquire the old Centennial Mills site and begin remodeling and expanding their facilities. Sperry and Centennial went through extended negotiations to determine whether Sperry Flour could lease the property. Interior view of Sperry Flour plant.
General Mills had now been in the flour business for 95 years. The company had steadily expanded and was about to go through more expansions. Their flour products were marketed both domestically and in the international markets as well. Sperry flour products were exported to South and Central America, many East Asian countries and many others. Interior view of storage building with thousands of sacks of flour stacked up.
Sperry Flour Co. Sperry Flour Co. was the largest milling organization in the West. The Tacoma plant produces 5,000 barrels per day of flour, which allows for large amounts to get sent throughout the world. Exterior view of plant.
Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);
ca. 1931. Testing bakery at the Tacoma Grain Company. A woman hold a fresh loaf of bread as she stands next to a testing oven. There is a line of seven loaves of bread on the shelf behind her. A bag of Centennial Silk-Sifted Flour is prominently displayed on the shelf next to the oven.