The Colorado Grain Chain’s 2nd Annual Grain Summit will be the first time that Andrew Heyn, co-owner of New American Stone Mills, will speak at an event since a fire devastated the business in November 2025. “I’m excited to connect with friends, make new friends, and get back to teaching and sharing and not dealing with insurance,” he says.

Started in 2015 by Heyn and his wife Blair Marvin, New American Stone Mills has grown through community need and support. Heyn builds 26-, 40-, and 48-inch stone mills and flour sifters for bakers, farmers, and millers around the country and world. Last week, he shipped out his first mill since the fire, and says that his network played a huge role in supporting the shop’s recovery. 

Grain economies aren’t built by one person or business, and while this ethos is helping the rebuilding process now, it’s been one of Heyn’s longtime core beliefs. “I’ve always found that no one person has all the answers,” he reflects. “Even though I’ve learned a lot and have a lot to share, if it wasn’t for all of us, we couldn’t get to where we are now.”

Heyn attributes some of this mindset to Vermont culture. “It’s a small state and a small population. And it’s hard to live here,” he says. Such small-town camaraderie even helped introduce Heyn and Marvin to the grain industry in 2004.

One day, while they were both working as fine dining chefs, the bread vendor asked if there was anyone in the restaurant who wanted to buy a house, bakery, and ten acres.

They did. And Elmore Mountain Bread was founded.

With little prior baking experience, Heyn credits how tips and tricks from other wood-fired bakers helped build their skills. In addition to making bread, Heyn also learned how to rebuild their oven, and then – propelled by curiosity about local grain – he designed a stone mill. 

Within four years, the couple was able to transition their bakery to 100% stone-ground, organic, Vermont flour. 

But that milestone depended on building relationships with nearby farmers and persuading them to dedicate a portion of land to grain cultivation. “The farms are pretty small here,” Heyn relates. “So our approach has always been: grow whatever works for you.”

Poetically, the first wheat they ground was Redeemer, a modern wheat that’s well-suited for Vermont’s climate. “It was an appropriate name because we were redeeming this tradition,” Heyn shared. “It was very lucky. There’s another variety called Warthog. If that had been our first wheat, it would be much harder to tell an endearing story.”

As the bakery finessed their local ingredients, Heyn continued to sell mills to a growing customer base. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, which ultimately led Heyn to ramp up production. During those months, there was no flour on shelves, and the ability to mill regional grain helped farmers and bakers make a profit while demand was high.

To Heyn, that period demonstrated local grain economies' resilience and ability to adapt better and faster than large supply systems. Now there are “clusters of these local grain economies all over,” he says, and he’s grateful to help “perpetuate and expand” their reach through his mills.

But personally connecting with bakers and farmers from all around the world is one of Heyn’s favorite parts of the business. “In every new market, I’ve found out new things about the grain qualities,” Heyn explains. “In Colorado, I’ve learned how grain performs at higher altitudes.” 

“Colorado also has a lot of bakers and seems to be one of larger customers,” he notes. During his travels to the Colorado Grain Summit, he looks forward to sampling regional bread and baked products. Nonetheless, “the bread we bake” at home will always be his favorite, he says.

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The Colorado Grain Summit March 7, 2026 at the SteamPlant in Salida, Colorado. The one-day event aims to inspire businesses using local grains to envision pathways for sustainable growth and increased market impact.

This single-day conference will feature curated networking sessions, expert panels, and keynotes highlighting innovative success stories across the grain supply chain. Our goal is to create an environment that fosters partnerships, provides pathways to market expansion, and connects grain producers with businesses across Colorado.

Get your tickets here.