Columbia’s iconic Adluh Flour to temporarily close during coronavirus pandemic
Editor’s note: This story as been updated to say that Adluh’s entire crew will come in on Mondays, not just management, and the mill will run a half day on Tuesdays. That schedule will continue for the foreseeable future.
Columbia’s iconic Adluh Flour has closed because of the coronavirus.
Co-owner Beth Ellis said the cratering of the restaurant business in the region because of COVID-19 has caused a major dent in the business.
“Our customers are restaurants,” she said. “With the restaurants shut down we don’t have orders.”
The mill will open on Mondays to assess any orders that do arrive, and run a half day on Tuesdays, Ellis said, adding that that schedule will continue until the pandemic is over.
“We have no intention to permanently close,” she said
There is no set time for reopening, Ellis said. “No way to predict that.”
The mill hopes to keep the 14 workers on “as long as possible,” she said.
The downtown mill has been producing its trademark flour and grits since 1900. The Allen family took over the mill in 1926 and has owned it ever since.
Adluh flour and grits are favorites among chefs throughout South Carolina and the region because the items are locally produced, of high quality and have a grand heritage.
The mill’s landmark silo in the center of downtown Columbia is an icon of the city and is frequently represented in photographs and paintings.
Ellis said that while the mill at 804 Gervais St. is mostly shuttered, the showroom remains open to the public to purchase flour, grits and other items directly.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 1:24 PM.