User:Araucana/Birkett Mills

Birkett Mills Birkett Mills is a business established in Penn Yan, NY, in 1797, and is one of the oldest businesses in the United States. As one of the world's largest processors of buckwheat, Birkett Mills has contributed to Penn Yan's recognition as "the buckwheat capital of the United States." Although the mill facility is located at the intersection of Main Street and Water Street in the village, the company has office headquarters at 163 Main St., a few blocks away. Consumer products available there include kasha, whole buckwheat groats, buckwheat flour, and pancake mixes.

Birkett Mills has operated at its original location since it was founded. However, the original mill burned down in 1823 and was rebuilt the following year. It has been in continuous use since then and currently has fewer than 50 employees. In addition to buckwheat, Birkett Mills provides custom milling services to growers of soft red wheat, producing specialty pastry, graham, and cake flours.

The first Buckwheat Festival in Penn Yan was held in 1986, with the creation of a "world-record" buckwheat pancake the following year. The event attracted thousands of people to the area each Labor Day weekend, until the last festival was held in 1999. A piece of the griddle on the front of the Birkett Mills building commemorates the 1987 record pancake, which contained "2,000 pounds of buckwheat pancake mix and 2,000 gallons of water." The other side of the griddle is displayed at the Yates County Fairgrounds. The 28-foot pancake created here in 1987 set a record that held until 1994, when a community in England made a larger pancake.

About 60,000 acres are planted across the United States to produce buckwheat, most of which is exported. Birkett Mills is the second largest producer in the U.S., and markets its products directly to consumers under the Wolff's and Pocono brands in addition to exporting. The company contracts with buckwheat growers in several states, who use seed provided by the company. In 1989, New York growers harvested about 25,000 acres of buckwheat; by 2016, fewer than 2,000 acres were reported. Although little buckwheat is now grown there, agriculture continues to be a strong contributor to Yates County's economy.

Birkett Mills is a contributing structure to the Penn Yan Historic District, which was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.