LINDSBORG, Kan. — Vintage and “throwback” foods are a popular trend, but the story behind a new product coming from the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum is like no other.
On March 21, the Museum will release “Smoky Valley Best Traditional Pancake Flour” to coincide with Lindsborg’s Swedish “Våffeldagen” waffle festival. It is based on an approximately 80-year-old recipe believed lost until only recently.
Adam Pracht, Marketing and Communications Director, said he was excited for the completion of this project that’s been in the works for years.
“We had no idea these decades-old recipes still existed anywhere,” he said. “Ever since we learned otherwise, it’s been a dream to bring this special mix back to the public.”
Operating from 1898 – 1955, the Smoky Valley Roller Mills on the banks of the Smoky Hill River in Lindsborg, Kansas, was central to the life of “Little Sweden, USA.” The last owners of the Old Mill – Clarence and Arthur Runbeck – ran the mill 1934-1955, and some of their most popular items were a variety of baking mixes, including for a Self-Rising Pancake Mix.
After the mill closed, it remained cold and dark until reopening in 1962 as part of a county museum.
The Old Mill was restored to operable condition by 1981. Today the Mill – owned by an independent nonprofit in the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum – is the only historic flour mill of its kind in the Midwest with all its machinery fully operable. Guided tours are available the first Saturday every May as part of Millfest.
The recipe for the Runbecks’ special pancake mix, however, was lost to time. Or, at least, that is what everyone connected with the museum reasonably thought.
Then in January 2024, workers at a home restoration in Lindsborg found a threadbare notebook and brought it to the museum for donation. Its contents were a huge surprise – multiple flour mix recipes in industrial measurement sizes by the Runbeck Brothers from approximately the 1940s, including the Traditional Pancake Flour.
Museum staff knew that in order to bring back the recipe for the public to purchase, they would need to find a manufacturing partner. The Old Mill is operable but not FDA approved (Millfest is a “dry run” without grain), so it did not have the capacity to produce the mix itself. After a long search, museum staff found that Sunflower Food Co. out of Lenexa, Kansas, could produce custom mixes to order. After working in partnership with Sunflower Food through the last few months to adapt the recipe to what’s possible with modern available ingredients, the museum will soon be able to make Smoky Valley Best Traditional Pancake Flour available for sale again!
Lauren Miller, vice president of Sunflower Food Co., said the opportunity to bring back the historic mix represented a bridge to the past.
“When Adam came to me with a vintage, handwritten pancake mix recipe, I was very excited to help the mill bring this recipe back to life,” Miller said. “These are the fun projects that really connect us back to our roots and remind me of the joy the kitchen brings. You will love the old-world inspired pancakes and waffles produced by this flour mix! Try one (or two!) for yourself.”
Customers will be able to buy 1 lb. packages of mix directly from the Museum gift shop in-person at 120 E. Mill St. in Lindsborg (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Saturday) or through the online gift shop at www.oldmillmuseum.org/gift-shop, starting during the Våffeldagen festival on Saturday, March 21 for $9.95, plus sales tax. The mix will also be available at multiple partner retail locations in Lindsborg and the surrounding region, as well as pancakes and waffles made with the mix being potentially added to the menus of select area restaurants.
During the Våffeldagen festival only, the Museum will also be selling fresh-cooked waffles made with the new mix for $3 each to festival attendees in the Museum gift shop!
A significant portion of each sale directly supports the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum, which is a private nonprofit museum and not publicly owned or operated. This premium mix – with all-natural ingredients and an 18-24 month shelf life – represents common business priorities that encourage consumers to “Buy Local” and “Buy Kansas.”
By using Sunflower Food Co., the Museum is prioritizing offering this unique product revival as a “Made in the USA” product with a trusted and experienced manufacturer, staying true to its historical local Kansas roots.
The museum is still seeking to expand its retail, restaurant, and café partnerships for the product, so please contact the museum at 785-227-3595 or [email protected] if interested in learning more about carrying this unique pancake flour mix product for sale. Businesses will only be able to acquire the flour mix wholesale via the Museum, and it is only being produced in small limited-run batches at a time.
Pracht emphasized that of all the ways to support this unique smalltown USA Museum, buying the newly revived Smoky Valley Best Traditional Pancake Flour is probably the most delicious.
“Museum staff and our families have been our in-house taste-testers while we brought this historic recipe into the modern day,” he said. “We knew we had our final version in round four when we spread butter on the fresh pancakes and drizzled it with syrup. Everyone trying it immediately made some version of a ‘Yummy’ noise and commented on how good they were. We hope people give them a try; we think they’ll agree these pancakes and waffles were worth waiting for.”
The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum celebrates and preserves the pioneering spirit of the Smoky Valley by educating, entertaining, and building community across generations so that history comes to life. With special emphasis on the period from 1870 to 1910, the museum includes two buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places and extensive archives and artifact collections. The museum seeks to honor the rich story of Lindsborg and its people.
Learn more about the museum at www.oldmillmuseum.org.
