MISSION

GRAIN IS OUR MEDIUM FOR CHANGE.

We are on a crusade to change how you think about grains. Dry Storage is an artisan mill that celebrates chefs, bakers, brewers, distillers and farmers.

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TRANSFORMATION

We seek to forge a new connection between people and grains. Freshly milled flour is akin to produce or wine: alive, nuanced, and expressive of terroir. Like any ingredient, it’s best fresh. Through our community, our mill, our bakehouse, and our partner restaurants, we work to transform how grains are used and understood.

CHEFS FIRST

We are chefs first. Our focus is on the finished product, and we work backward from there. We won’t grow, mill, or ship anything that won’t create a delicious baked good or an elevated dish. We opened Dry Storage bakehouse to push how far we can take grains and formulate all our flours for our restaurant concepts first and our distillery partners. This perspective sets us apart from all other commercial mills.

IMPACT

We believe that our grains are an antidote to the modern industrialized food system. Organic agriculture and regenerative practices nourish the soil and combat climate change. By buying direct from farmers and investing in the supply chain, we seek to restore rural economies and strengthen local foodsheds.

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THE LAST MILE

We believe that growing demand for single varietal grains comes from critical consumerism and innovative use by chefs, bakers, distillers, and brewers. It is this group that is creating the personal, intimate consumer experiences which are the key. We call that connection and experience the “Last Mile.”

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Kelly whitaker

The innovation, passionate advocacy, and leadership of James Beard-nominated Chef Kelly Whitaker is the engine behind Dry Storage. Kelly launched Boulder-based Id Est Hospitality Group in 2005 as a communion of passions: culinary inspiration, care of the guest experience, and greater accessibility to high-quality grains and Colorado ingredients. He and his team at IEHG have received critical acclaim for their restaurants and are also in demand for culinary consultation in the development of restaurant concepts.

Kelly’s journey as an advocate for reviving the grain economy began with the opening of Basta, an award-winning woodfired restaurant, in 2010. In 2016, Kelly co-founded the Noble Grain Alliance to support the restoration of local grain production through farming, milling, and distribution. Noble Grain Alliance planted Turkey Red wheat on 16 acres. Following that experience, Kelly and his team sought the best talent to learn and develop their specific approach to flour. They began milling flour for his own restaurants on a Osttiroler Mill. In 2019, Kelly opened Dry Storage Bakehouse to expand his milling operation and highlight the complexity and flavor of breads and pastries made with locally sourced, heirloom grains. After a successful harvest of 50 acres of heirloom wheat planted in partnership with Jones Farm in San Luis Valley, CO, the Id Est team opened a commercial milling facility in Boulder, CO in early 2020.

A 2019 and 2020 James Beard Award nominee, Kelly continues to push the envelope across four restaurant concepts including The Wolf’s Tailor, named hottest top ten new restaurants 2019 by Bon Appetit, and Dry Storage bakery, our R&D test kitchen and grain showroom. In addition to his involvement in the local grain movement, Kelly is an active member of Chefs Collaborative, Slow Food Nations, and sits on the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Monterey Bay Seafood Watch.

FRIENDS
DOING THE WORK

We stand strong together as we spark a revolution in food and work to fix the supply chain.

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MAD AGRICULTURE

Every farmer has a different set of opportunities and challenges. For some, a community of like-minded farmers is all that is needed to revolutionize their operation. The catalyst for others can be markets that reward their stewardship of land. Some need an integrated farm plan that brings clarity and technique to their vision. We meet farmers on their journey, helping them thrive in making a living growing plants and raising animals in relationship with their place.

SLOW FOOD

Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization, founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast life and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us. Since its beginnings, Slow Food has grown into a global movement involving millions of people in over 160 countries, working to ensure everyone has access to good, clean and fair food.

ZERO FOODPRINT

Zero Foodprint food businesses and their customers help farmers turn bad carbon into good carbon. Carbon farming (also called regenerative farming) restores soil biology, which naturally pulls tons of carbon (literally) out of the atmosphere, brings soil back to life, and replenishes nutrients. Better food. Thriving farms. Restored climate. .

GOOD FOOD 100

Good Food 100 is proud to offer chefs and restaurants a badge of honor for not just how good their food tastes, but how good it is for every link of the food chain. Now it is up to us as eaters to vote with our forks and our dollars to demand an open, transparent, and sustainable food system for all. Vote #GoodFoodForAll and support Good Food 100 Restaurants™.

IE HOSPITALITY

IE Hospitality, formed in 2008, supports Dry Storage through their ethos, talent, infrastructure and restaurants – The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ and Basta. IE has been an incredible platform to test the product, get the word out and figure out the process.

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COLORADO GRAIN CHAIN

The Colorado Grain Chain is a 501(c)5 membership organization comprised of locally-owned and-operated businesses and consumers that produce and support grain and grain products from heritage, ancient and locally-adapted grain. Founding members are farmers, millers, bakers, brewers, distillers and chefs. The Grain Chain is devoted to promoting member businesses and raising awareness and demand for their products throughout Colorado.

BIG GREEN COLORADO

Big Green builds Learning Gardens in schools around the country. Our Learning Gardens are engaging outdoor classrooms that connect kids to real food, increase academic achievement, and drive community engagement. Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson founded Big Green, formerly The Kitchen Community, in order to create a replicable, scalable school garden solution. They built the first-ever Learning Garden in Denver.

MONTEREY BAY

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program helps consumers and businesses choose seafood that's fished or farmed in ways that support a healthy ocean, now and for future generations. Our recommendationsindicate which seafood items are Best Choices or Good Alternatives, and which ones you should Avoid.