Western Milling :: Who We Are

Who We Are

“Know the customer and strive for their success.” – Otto H Kruse, Founder, OH Kruse Grain and Milling

At Western Milling, we live by the same commitment to customer satisfaction and success that drove Otto Kruse. We believe that humility and hard work, combined with safe, prudent and efficient operations, will ultimately bring results that matter for our customers. It is our mission to deliver quality products and services with superior customer service.

Our Guiding Values

Present in everything we do is the belief that employees grow the company – and should grow with it. And we hold dearly to the notion that being innovative and driven, while being honest, ethical and dependable, leads to a business we can all be proud of, and that customers will continue to partner with.

Strive for Customers Success

We seek to understand and appreciate what makes our customers successful, making the most of every opportunity to exceed their expectations, thus creating value that contributes to their success and ours.

Care for Each Other

We provide support, understanding and genuine care for each other, and we work collaboratively, recognizing that we're stronger as a team.

Do the Right Thing

We are trustworthy because we are honest, accountable and transparent. We work towards the best solution, not the easiest solution, always doing the right thing the first time.

Own It

As employee owners, we know and accept that every act we take and decision we make are our own, recognizing that there are no good excuses and that mistakes, which can happen, are acceptable as long as we learn from them.

Our History

Our success evolved from hard work, perseverance, and a singular focus on getting the results that matter — our customers' seeing success with our products — as far back as 1935. And we are committed to continue serving our customers with this same focus on their success as we move forward.

1925

17-year-old Otto H. Kruse starts work for the El Monte Grain Company as a laborer in the production and delivery of dairy and poultry feeds.

1929

A casualty of the Great Depression, the El Monte Grain Company closes, and Otto goes on to work for F.F. Booker Wholesale Hay and Grain.

1935

After the sudden death of F.F. Booker, Otto Kruse purchases the company in the middle of the Great Depression. He then restructures the company and renames it O.H. Kruse Grain & Milling.

1950s

Urban sprawl forces agricultural livestock populations out of Los Angeles and Orange County to San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

1962

Otto's oldest son, Ronald Kruse, graduates from Kansas State University, with an emphasis in Feed Science. Ronald moves the business to San Bernardino County and constructs a modern feed mill in Ontario. Production begins immediately to better serve the growing dairy industry in nearby Chino Valley.

1968

Ronald Kruse becomes the Chief Executive of the Company and continues to bring a number of innovations to the company from the area's first unit trains to least cost formulating software run on then modern computers.

1980s

A third generation of the Kruse family officially joins the family business. Ronald's son, Kevin Kruse, graduates from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and is given the task of constructing a modern feed mill in the San Joaquin Valley, as they see a trend of livestock production moving to the San Joaquin Valley, one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world.

1991

In the heart of the dairyshed, Kevin oversees completion of the state of the art feed mill in Pixley, CA, and operations are underway. The mill produces 60,000 tons of feed per month.

1992

Kevin Kruse becomes president of the company and, eventually, moves the Company's headquarters to the San Joaquin Valley.

1994

A British firm approaches the Kruse family with an attractive offer. The deal ensures no changes to the management team. After several months of negotiations, the purchase is complete and O.H. Kruse is owned by Tate & Lyle, Ltd.

2000

Tate & Lyle, Ltd. leaves the feed business in the United States and Kevin Kruse looks to start up a new venture with business partner Tony Correia. Kevin and Tony acquire a former Louis Rich feed mill just outside Visalia, CA, and Western Milling is born, with a focus on bulk feed manufacturing.

2001

Western Milling purchases the O.H. Kruse Grain & Milling business unit, including the Perfection brand, back from a competitor, returning to the retail feed business where the Company's heritage began.

2014

In a joint venture with Harris Ranch, Western Milling purchases a mill in Hanford, CA, now known as Hanford Grain Company.

2015

Western Milling acquires Winema Elevators, bringing additional storage and origination capabilities in Northern California and Oregon.

Our Future

Our Company remains committed to Otto Kruse’s motto: Know thy customer and strive for their success. His legacy has spanned three generations, and has been at the core of making Western Milling who we are today. We remain in tireless pursuit of customer success and continue to aspire to be the leading and most diverse agriculturally based, nutrient solutions business in the Western United States.