The ancient cereal grain spelt is making a comeback with consumers as a healthy alternative to modern wheat flour - and it can be found growing in a small pocket on Western Australia's South Coast.
Spelt is a nutrient-rich whole grain that is high in protein and has a rich nutty flavour without the bitterness that can be common in whole wheat flour.
It is an especially good source of manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron and some B vitamins.
Spelt also appears to be better tolerated by people with a mild gluten intolerance, as it is more easily digested.
It is closely related to wheat, with a similar nutritional profile, but because it contains gluten, it is not suitable for coeliacs.
Fifth-generation grain producers Jeremy and Kate Groves are growing and milling their own spelt grain to supply to the WA market under the Mt Barker Flour brand.
They farm 696 hectares at Mt Barker after moving from the original family property at Tambellup in 2017.
Three years later they found themselves buying a flour mill from traditional Dutch windmill owners Pleun and Hennie Hitzert at nearby Amelup.
This mill was set up in the Hitzert's shed and was the same as the one in their unique windmill, known as the Lily, which was designed according to traditional techniques used in the Netherlands.
"The Hitzerts also ran onfarm accommodation and were looking to slow down," Mr Groves said.
"So we decided we would take on the mill and since then we have set up a second mill using stones from Holland."
Mr Groves said there were many benefits to using the traditional stone grinding process to produce flour.
He said it started with the wholegrain, which produced a much higher fibre flour with a stronger flavour and coarser texture.
"By milling the wholegrain through the stones - which keep the flour at a lower temperature - the flour is also higher in many vitamins and minerals," Mr Groves said.
The Groves sow their spelt wheat in a small 10-20ha section of a usual wheat paddock each year.
It initially received the same fertiliser, fungicide and weed treatments as the other wheat varieties as needed.
"But because it is a niche, high-value product, we have moved away from any in-crop spraying of chemicals," Mr Groves said.
"It hasn't been bred for yield or other grain production traits, so it is quite a hardy plant.
"This means there is less need for spraying, as it tolerates any diseases and pests quite well.
"It is also slow growing, especially while it establishes a big root mass underground."
The climate on the South Coast is ideal for the spelt crop, which has a longer maturity than other commonly-grown wheats and likes a soft finish to the season.
Annual rainfall on the Groves' sheep and cropping property ranges from about 400 millimetres to 700mm and soil types are variable - from decent loams to forest gravels and some sand in low-lying areas.
"Growing spelt is not common in WA and we stumbled across it when we got the mill," Mr Groves said.
"It only yields about a third of the grain compared to other common wheats, at about one or two tonnes per hectare, which is not great incentive for other farmers to grow it."
Mr Groves said after harvest in late December, and when it was time for milling, the spelt grain was dehulled to remove the husk around the seed.
The grain was then slowly worked through two milling stones to produce a wholemeal flour.
The milling stones are housed in timber framework.
One stone stays stationary and one rotates.
The grain falls through a hole in the middle of the top stone and is milled.
Instead of using traditional windmill for power, the Groves' mill is operated by a three-phase power electric motor that drives a big leather belt, pulley and timber cogs that run the stone.
Every 12 months the stones need to be sharpened and these can last for up to 70 years.
The Groves mill about one tonne of spelt grain each month and package it into one kilogram and bulk 12.5kg bags.
They are also considering adding rye flour to their range in future - when they can find a grain supplier.
"We started with spelt mainly because we inherited it," Mr Groves said.
"We didn't know too much about it, but it is pretty well the only flour we make now.
"There could be opportunities to mill other niche grains in future.
"The spelt is more work to mill because it needs to be dehulled, but the margin is higher than for traditional wheat."
The Groves sell their Mt Barker Flour to local retailers around Albany, Mt Barker and Denmark, including the local IGA and local bakery.
The flour is also distributed to specialty retailers, bakeries and restaurants in Perth each month, including the popular Bib and Tucker in North Fremantle, Manuka in Fremantle, Everyday Bread in Willagee and Big Loaf in O'Connor.
"We are really focusing on getting the bulk spelt flour into more bakeries and restaurants," Mr Groves said.
"We currently only need to mill one day a month, but we have plenty of capacity to increase this and would like to do so in future."
Mr Groves said there was a certain skill to be able to mill wheat and he was lucky to have had Mr Hitzert as a teacher.
"There is a fair bit of science behind the process in larger mills," he said.
"Ours is more of an artisan product and I work on getting the texture right and get the flour as fine as possible.
"You have to temper the grain by adding water 24 hours prior to milling to get the moisture levels up and soften the bran.
"You also can't have it too hot."
Protein levels of the spelt flour vary according to seasonal conditions for the grain production, but are typically 12-14 per cent and can go up to 15-16pc.
