# #250 - Jacob Trumbull of Roaring Fork Mill: Heritage Grains, Regenerative Organic Certification, and How Startup CPG Opportunities Unlocked 700 Stores

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2026-05-26
- Length: 30m
- Episode: 311
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-26-250-jacob-trumbull-of-roaring-fork-mill-heritage-grains-regenerative-organic-cer
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/e2852297

## Summary

Jacob Trumbull, founder of Roaring Fork Mill, explains how he transitioned from a desk job to building a family-operated stone flour mill in Carbondale, Colorado, becoming the first fully Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) mill in the US. He details the technical and supply chain challenges of sourcing heritage grains like Defiance Wheat from just one pound of seed and navigating the complex ROC certification process, which requires sourcing ingredients from a nascent supply chain. Trumbull shares how winning a Shelfie Award and exhibiting at the Unify trade show unlocked over 700 retail stores in a month and a half, leading to the launch of their first-to-market ROC certified cookie line and partnerships with major retailers like Raley's and AJ's.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Jacob Trumbull and Roaring Fork Mill
2. Origin Story: From Sterling College to Garage Milling
3. Stone Milling Process and Heritage Grain Benefits
4. Sourcing Defiance Wheat and Building the Supply Chain
5. Retail Growth: Shelfie Award, Unify Trade Show, and 700 Stores
6. ROC Certification Challenges and Value-Added Products
7. Future Outlook and Community Learning

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Roaring Fork Mill (company)
- New American Stone Mills (company)
- Rocky Mountain Institute (company)
- Sterling College (company)
- Masa Seed Foundation (company)
- Startup CPG (company)
- Unify (other)
- Defiance Wheat (product)
- ROC (other)
- Shelfie Award (other)
- Raley's (company)
- AJ's (company)
- Pod Foods (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Jovial Foods: Carla Bartolucci](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-07-jovial-foods-carla-bartolucci) (How I Built This)
- [Simple Mills: Katlin Smith](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-02-15-simple-mills-katlin-smith) (How I Built This)
- [A climate-resilient ancient grain with Pierre Thiam of Yolélé (2022)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-09-21-a-climate-resilient-ancient-grain-with-pierre-thiam-of-yolele-2022) (How I Built This)
- [Bob's Red Mill: Bob Moore](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-05-21-bobs-red-mill-bob-moore) (How I Built This)
- [HIBT Lab! Yolélé: Pierre Thiam](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-25-hibt-lab-yolele-pierre-thiam) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-26-250-jacob-trumbull-of-roaring-fork-mill-heritage-grains-regenerative-organic-cer. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Startup CPG Podcast.