The Dittlinger Mill, operated by ADM Inc., is seen near the Comal River in New Braunfels.
William Luther, Staff / Staff
An old flour mill along the Comal River that used to be a flourishing industry in New Braunfels will end production and close its doors come March. Archer Daniels Midland said last week that it would close the Dittlinger Mill off San Antonio Street after 137 years in operation, the Express-News reports.
The flour mill, which opened in 1886, will close because it “no longer aligns” with the companies future milling needs has already informed its partners that the mill will shut down permanently at the end of March, Archer Daniel Midland said in a statement sent to the Express-News.
Dittlinger Mills also consulted on poultry and livestock projects, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reports, and fueled growth of the poultry industry in Texas. Being right along the Comal River, the flour mill used to draw power from a water turbine, then diesel and later electricity. The building is not far from the Tube Chute, which uses the old mill technology to create its river attraction.
Now, the Express-News reports, the Dittlinger mill has about 20 employees, which the company hopes to find work for them in other companies. The Herald-Zeitung says that all the equipment inside the flour mill will go to other Archer Daniel Midland mills. The building hasn’t been listed for sale but Jonathan Packer, CEO for the New Braunfels Chambers of Commerce, told the Express-News that he hopes the facility will be repurposed.