QUINCY, MASS. – Bay State Milling has acquired Certified Foods, Inc., a supplier of conventional, organic and gluten-free whole milled flours, which includes the Joseph’s Best brand.

Certified Foods, Woodland, Calif., uses a combination of traditional stone milling and modern milling technologies to produce whole grain flours. The flours include brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, durum, millet, quinoa, sorghum, teff, rye and wheat. Certified Foods also mills legume flours such as garbanzo and adzuki beans.

Joe Vanderliet, who previously worked for Bay State Milling, is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Certified Foods, Inc. He will stay with the company for a period of time to support the transition.

“I am proud that Bay State Milling will carry forward my vision for whole grain milling and trust that they will continue to supply my customers with high quality products and excellent service,” Mr. Vanderliet said. “The resources and expertise of the Bay State Milling team create exciting opportunities for my employees, suppliers and customers.”

Pete Levangie, president and chief operating officer of Quincy-based Bay State Milling, said, “We are thrilled to add Certified Foods’ whole grain milling technology, its wide array of product solutions and its talented team to Bay State Milling’s growing portfolio of organic, gluten-free and nutritious ingredients for the grain-based food industry.”

The Certified Foods acquisition comes after Bay State Milling bought T.J. Harkins Basic Commodity Brokers, Inc. and subsidiaries last year. Based in Bolingbrook, Ill., T.J. Harkins supplies sesame and edible seeds, sweet spices, ancient grains, specialty grain flours and grain blends.