Kneading Conference History

The Kneading Conference has been held each year since 2007 and has grown significantly. 2011 was a milestone year: we received nonprofit status as the Maine Grain Alliance; we helped organize the first Kneading Conference West at Washington State University in Mount Vernon, Washington; and we purchased a portable wood-fired oven to use for educational workshops and for fundraising. 2012 was also a turning point for the Maine Grain Alliance: we contributed to the renovation of the commercial kitchen at the Somerset Grist Mill, thereby paving the way for year-round educational baking workshops, launched in the winter of 2013.
The success of the Kneading Conference’s approach to restoring lost grain economies is having real and measurable impact. By bringing together the diverse stakeholders who collectively can rebuild lost infrastructure and create demand for local and regional grain systems – farmers, millers, bakers, chefs, wheat researchers – on-the-ground plans take shape. In Maine, the Kneading Conference has been the impetus for start-ups amongst a growing cluster of grain-related businesses.
A major accomplishment that has enabled development of these small for-profit businesses has been the leadership provided by investment groups and nonprofits such as the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation and Small Potatoes Investments. They have leveraged creative funding systems to enable nonprofits to finance agricultural enterprises in Maine. Both the Kneading Conference model of bringing together the people who can implement agricultural revivals and the investment model that enables nonprofits to support for-profit businesses are being observed and replicated in other parts of the country, as recorded in national publications. (See “news”.)