‘We’re proud to be in Kirkcaldy’ - Carr’s Flour Mill celebrates 200 years amid new bakery trail launch
A longstanding Fife business is marking a milestone and partnering with a new tourism drive based on people’s love of bakeries.
Carr’s Flour Mill in Kirkcaldy might not be somewhere you’ve heard of, but there’s no doubt you’ll have, at some point, enjoyed the results of this industrial powerhouse’s wares. Supplying a large range of bakers across Scotland with flour, the business is 200 years old this year and is marking the occasion by being part of a new bakery trail that has just launched with Scottish Bakers.
The Ultimate Scottish Bakers Trail 2026 is the first-of-its-kind - an interactive digital resource celebrating the craft, community, and the faces behind the nation’s favourite bakes. The campaign also taps into the growing trend of food tourism, with travellers increasingly seeking authentic culinary experiences when visiting new destinations. Insights from VisitScotland highlight the rise of so-called “scran seekers”, - visitors who use social media and food creators to discover local produce and hidden culinary gems.
As a member of Scottish Bakers, a trade association that was established in 1891, Carr’s is the starting point, and launch venue for this new trail - a fitting start to the 200th anniversary celebrations.
As a business that has supplied flour to generations of Scottish bakeries, the mill - one of only two remaining flour mills in Scotland - Carr’s represents the very foundation of the heritage and craftsmanship featured throughout the trail.
Allan Burns, sales and marketing director for Carr’s Flour Mills explained the history of Carr’s, which started as Hutchison's, saying: “In 1826 Robert Hutchison registered the business. At that time he was a grain trader, probably the largest grain trader in Scotland. In 1854 he put a mill on this site to supply flour within Scotland.
“Hutchisons was acquired in 2004 together with a mill in Essex. They became what is now Carrs Flour Mills, along with the original Mill in Silloth, which was the original Carr’s mill. We kept the Hutichsons name, and people still know us as Hutchisons. We are now supplying the fourth/fifth generation of family bakers in Scotland from the borders up to the north of Scotland and the islands.”
The business supplies a range of different flours to bakers in Scotland and is helping keep traditional bakes alive, as Mr Burns said: “We supply the majority of bakers all the different types of flour, whether it’s strong flour or self raising four and they produce a range of products. Some are very iconic and a lot are very traditionally Scottish whether that’s scones, morning rolls or more of the artisan modern products such as sourdough bread.
“We supply small packs which you’ll get in the supermarket but here in Kirkcaldy we supply the industrial bags and bulk tankers. Bulk tankers are pretty unique as they’re split so they can get more than one pot in the tank so we can supply various different types of flours in one tank which is pretty unique in the market.”
The bulk tankers bring wheat to Kirkcaldy from Canada, Germany and the south of England which is milled as well as locally grown wheat. Mr Burns credits the port, which the company invested in reopening. He said: “We’re very fortunate we’ve got the port here at the side of the mill. It was reopened in 2011 and from then until about 2024 we’d taken in 70,000 road vehicles offline by bringing in boats of wheat so for our carbon footprint, it was a very good exercise.
“We dredged the port before opening it and then when the beast from the east (heavy snowfall in February 2018) hit a few years ago we had to re-dredge it again. Earlier this year, because we had a lot of silt coming in from the Forth we had to re-dredge it. It’s a constant thing we’ve got to keep up with but it’s worth it. The boats come in with 3,000 tonnes of wheat compared to 28 tonnes in a road tanker so it’s a very constant stream therefore it’s a constantly great product.”
Carr’s history and future is rooted in Kirkcaldy in Fife, a town which was once an industrial hub but is now facing the same challenges as similar locations across the country. Mr Burns said the firm are “proud to be in Kirkcaldy.”
He said: “We spent a lot of money in 2013 putting in a brand new mill across the road and that was to give us longevity. If we didn’t have that mill there then who’s going to supply bakers in Scotland with flour? We have to survive and it’s a crucial development for the town but it’s crucial to Scotland as well; having a mill that produces over 250 billion rolls a year. That’s the equivalent of flour that we produce a year.
“We have a large percentage of the Scottish market and are proud of it, and fight hard to keep that. We’re proud to be in Kirkcaldy, it’s a fantastic place. We get employees that have been with the business for over 40 years. We have very low turnover of staff here and they’re local but they also love working for this business.”
Of being involved in the new Ultimate Bakery Trail, Mr Burns said: “Everything you bake starts with flour so you have to start the bakery trail where everything starts, which is here. I think it’s an incredible thing that Scottish Bakers are doing now; putting us more on the map, making people know more about our business and our bakers.”
As for his favourite baked treat, he said: “A pineapple tart has always been my favourite but then Scotch morning rolls is a close second. They’re a fantastic product. We like to keep these traditions alive.”
To celebrate 200 years the team are celebrating the milestone within the business but there’s also a new eye-catching addition to the fleet. “We’ve taken the opportunity to design a new tanker that reflects the look and heritage of both Carr’s and Hutchison’s mill. It’s something we’re really proud of. It’s a tartan wrap on one of our tankers, which people will see travelling over Scotland over the next 12 months or so.”
To find out more about the bakery trail and view the interactive map, please visit the Scottish Bakers website.
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