Time flies, time flies. When it comes to stone mills, nostalgia for the past comes to mind. In people's memory, the stone mill is a symbol of the wisdom and diligence of the ancestors, and it is precious and unforgettable in the rural home.
Stone grinding was originally a stone tool used by people to push or pull by donkey to grind grain into powder. Its origins can be traced back to the Warring States period, and it gradually became popular during the Han Dynasty, and was mostly owned by rural families. Legend has it that the inventor of the stone mill was the craftsman ancestor Luban. Legend has it that Lu Ban put a large grinding disc on a stone platform, and placed two stones of moderate thickness on the grinding disc to make a grinding fan. The lower half of the grinding disc is fitted with a short vertical shaft, made of iron, while the upper half has a corresponding empty sleeve. When the two doors are merged, the lower fan is fixed, and the upper fan rotates around the axis. The upper fan leaves a hollow chamber, called a grinding chamber, and its periphery is made into radial grinding teeth. The upper fan is equipped with a grinding eye, so that the grain can flow evenly into the grinding chamber, which is ground into powder in the gap between the upper and lower fans, and finally flows to the large grinding disc below, where impurities such as bran are removed through screening to obtain high-quality flour.
The so-called stone mill flour refers to the flour processed by traditional stone mill without any additives. Regarding stone grinding, it used to be very common in the northern countryside of the mainland. Due to the limited level of productivity, the milling process relies on human or donkey power, so the yield is low. With the advent of electric mills and modern flour mills, stone mills gradually withdrew from the stage and were replaced by electronic mechanized processes, and instant flour gradually prevailed.
However, in Zhangqiu, Jinan, there is a stone mill flour enterprise, which inherits the traditional craftsmanship and combines it with modern advanced equipment to retain people's nostalgic memories while also trying to overcome the problem of low flour yield. This is Xiajia Stone Mill Food Co., Ltd.
Jinan Xiajiamo Stone Mill Food Co., Ltd. is a village-run enterprise established by the Party Branch of Xiajiamo Village, Xiuhui Sub-district Office, Zhangqiu District, mobilizing farmers to become shareholder. The company is committed to the production of pure natural, zero-added green pasta products, including stone-ground flour, selenium-rich stone-ground wheat flour, stone-ground whole wheat flour, stone-ground wheat core flour, selenium-rich golden corn flour and other products, which are sold all over shopping malls and supermarkets and into thousands of households.
Xiajia Mill Stone Mill Flour is made of wheat grown in Xiajia Mill Village without pollution as raw materials, which has the characteristics of natural primitive, pure wheat aroma, chewy taste, and original ecology without additives, and is the best raw material for making all kinds of nutritious pasta. The flour milled by the stone grinding process of Xiajia Mill is fragrant and mellow, and it is an authentic "original" product. Since its launch on the market, the flour has been in short supply and has become a popular product in the local consumer market, and is highly sought after.
In 2020, the farmer planting cooperative led by the village party branch transferred 300 acres of land in the village to implement large-scale planting, mainly planting wheat, corn and other food crops. Through soil and variety improvement and mechanized operations, the grain yield has increased by more than 300 catties per mu, allowing the villagers to personally feel the advantages of large-scale planting and scientific farming. In order to increase income, arrange nearby employment for farmers, and especially attract women's labor, in October 2021, members of the two committees of Xiajiamo Village took the lead and mobilized 40 farmers to voluntarily join the shares, officially registered and established the trademark of Jinan Xiajiamo Shimo Food Co., Ltd., and then built a factory to start producing stone-ground flour and related flour products.
In 2022, Xiajiamo Stone Mill Flour was rated as one of the top ten famous and special products in Zhangqiu by the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Zhangqiu District, and in December of the same year, Xiajiamo Village was rated as a "Provincial Famous Village of Local Industry" by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Shandong Province.
In the passage of time, Xiajia Stone Mill Food Co., Ltd., with its spirit of inheritance and innovation, not only continues the ancient tradition of stone grinding technology, but also condenses nostalgia into the driving force of modern business. This model, built by village collectives, has not only increased the income of local farmers, but also become the engine of rural economic growth. The rise of Xiajia grinding stone food symbolizes a new chapter in rural revitalization, highlights the perfect integration of tradition and modernity, and outlines a beautiful rural picture full of hope and vitality for the public.
(Song Jiayin)