The mill that appears on our letterhead and feed bags is a replica of the old mill that was acquired in 1930 by Sherwin A. Kleinwort. He traded a 240 acre farm with a mortgage on it for the mill which, at the time, was ready to fall into the river. From this humble beginning St. Ansgar Mills has continued to grow. Bob returned from service in the Marine Corps in 1945 and entered into partnership with his father in 1946. He bought out Sherwin in 1962 and incorporated the business in 1973. After graduation from Iowa State University, his sons joined the firm. Ed in 1972, Jim in 1976. Bob retired in 1986, and these two sons manage the firm today. Bob passed on in 1993. Terry is general manager and Ed is president.
St. Ansgar Mills has processed feed for livestock ever since S. A. Kleinwort acquired it in 1930. It was decided to try the grain business in 1947. The first year about 20,000 bushels of beans were purchased, every bushel of which went from wagon to truck via scoop shovel then to the bean plant. In 1950, a 100,000 bushel warehouse was built in St. Ansgar. This has been added to by building and purchasing and today's capacity is approximately 1.6 million bushels. The old mill by the river was operated exclusively by water power until 1957. It was converted completely to electricity in 1962. In 1966 feed processing was moved to its present location in St. Ansgar. A state of the art computer driven feed mill was brought into production in 1994.
The Kleinwort family could not have enjoyed the success of their expanding business without the help of loyal employees and customers. Customer service on an individual basis has been the main objective of this firm. Employees become the extension of the Kleinwort family in offering service to the customers.
Terry Sponheim bought into the business in 2020 to carry on the legacy of St. Ansgar Mills.
