Rubinmühle

Rubinmühle (Rubin Mühle) is a German grain-milling company based in Lahr, Baden-Württemberg, and part of the family-owned Rubin GmbH & Co. KG group. Its origins trace back to 1352, when the Hugsweierer Obermühle was first mentioned in a document; the Rubin family has operated the mill since 1684. Today the group's operating subsidiaries, Rubin Mühle GmbH and Rubinmühle Vogtland GmbH, produce and distribute milled grain products and related ingredients, primarily for the food industry. According to Wikipedia, Rubinmühle is the largest processor of organic oats in Germany and Europe and one of the three largest German oat mills. The company's product range includes oat flakes, specialty milled products, extrudates and flakes, extruded flours and granulates, and proteins. Modern extrusion lines allow the production of plant-based meat alternatives from textured proteins. Rubinmühle also supplies products for breakfast cereals and muesli, and operates a factory outlet (Werksverkauf) at its Lahr site. The company emphasizes quality, product development and testing, ecology and organic production, and processing technology. Rubinmühle has expanded significantly over recent decades. It built its first extrusion line in 1993 and added further lines in 1996, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2014. In 2006 it commissioned a biomass power plant that supplies 10,000 MWh of process steam for oat processing and extrusion, covering 80 percent of the mill's steam demand. In 2013 it founded Rubinmühle Vogtland GmbH and began construction of a new oat mill in Plauen-Oberlosa, which opened in 2015 at a cost of 13 million euros. In 2021 Rubin invested around 23 million euros in a new hulling and flake mill and office building in Plauen-Oberlosa; the new mill was inaugurated in 2023 and doubled daily grain processing from 144 to 280 tonnes. In 2023 the company also acquired Werk 4 on the Lahr airfield site from the insolvency estate of Galvanoform. In the night of 23 July 2024, a major fire destroyed Werk 3 at the Lahr airfield, a roughly 1,600-square-metre building housing packaging lines for oat flakes and muesli as well as offices. No one was injured, but property damage ran into the millions. The company maintained delivery capability through short-term cooperation with external service providers and temporarily relocated administrative units. A new building is planned at the site to centralize administration, and an additional packaging line is being installed in Plauen. Despite the fire, there were no layoffs, and the company views the rebuild as an opportunity for a stronger future. Rubinmühle remains a medium-sized, family-owned business with a strong regional and European presence, supplying food manufacturers and consumers with oat-based and grain-based products.

The history of Rubinmühle begins in 1352, when the Hugsweierer Obermühle in Lahr was first mentioned in a document. The Rubin family has operated the mill since 1684. In 1784, Philipp Jakob Rubin (1736–1805) purchased the Obermühle at auction for 5,670 guilders. After financial difficulties, his eldest son Philipp Jakob Rubin II (1760–1815) took over the mill through hereditary lease. Following Philipp Jakob Rubin II's death in 1815, his son Karl Ludwig Rubin I (1794–1870) became the new tenant and the first miller in the Rubin family, operating the mill with two grinding passages, hulling passages, and a grater. After the death of Grand Duke Leopold, Karl Ludwig Rubin I agreed with the Grand Ducal Baden Domain Administration to dissolve his fiefdom, transferring the mill to his ownership. Karl Rubin II (1829–1881) expanded the mill with an oil mill and a grinding mill. Karl Rubin III had to file for bankruptcy in 1910, after which the mill was auctioned for 47,000 marks and bought by his wife. The mill was powered by water from the Schutter until 1935, after which it moved to larger buildings and added a diesel engine (1935) and an electric motor (1938). In 1948, Robert August Rubin (1893–1956) built one of the first oat mills in southern Germany. Until then, barley and oat processing had been mostly known only in northern Germany. In 1956 the company built a new grain silo, followed by an animal feed plant in 1967 and a new wheat and rye mill in 1978. The first warehouse was built in 1986, and in the same year a mixing and packaging facility for muesli was installed. A new hulling mill was built in 1989, and its capacity has since tripled. In 1993 the company built its first extrusion line, followed by further extrusion lines in 1996 and 2000. In 2002 Rubin built a new warehouse, which was expanded in 2009 to double the number of storage spaces. Further extrusion lines were built in 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2011. In 2006 Rubin inaugurated a biomass power plant that supplies 10,000 megawatt-hours of process steam for oat processing and extrusion, covering 80 percent of the mill's steam demand. Rubinmühle Vogtland GmbH was founded in 2013. In the same year, a new technology replaced the three hulling lines previously used. In 2014, the eighth extrusion line was commissioned. Also in 2014, construction began on the hulling mill in Plauen-Oberlosa in the Vogtland region, at a cost of 13 million euros; it was inaugurated in 2015. In the same year, Rubin expanded the mill in Lahr-Hugsweier on a 9,000-square-metre area, including a new production hall. In 2017, Rubin opened Werk III in Lahr, where muesli and oat flakes are packaged. In 2021, Rubin invested around 23 million euros in a new hulling and flake mill and a new office building in Plauen-Oberlosa. The new mill was inaugurated in 2023 and doubled production from 144 to 280 tonnes of processed grain per day. In 2023, Rubinmühle also acquired Werk 4 on the Lahr airfield site from the insolvency estate of Galvanoform. The new site provides additional storage and production space and complements existing capacities at the main site in Hugsweier and on the airfield site. Since the 1950s, the Rubin family has advocated for the construction of a bridge in Hugsweier as a southern connection to the airfield and the motorway. The bridge was intended to divert truck traffic from the town centre to relieve residents from the heavy traffic that daily reaches the Rubinmühle main plant. In September 2023, the Hugsweier local administration announced that a building application for the bridge could be submitted. However, according to Rubinmühle managing director Christopher Rubin, the city of Lahr has no planning basis, without which no bridge can be planned and no building application can be submitted. In the night of 23 July 2024, a devastating fire broke out in Werk 3 of Rubinmühle at the Lahr airfield. The approximately 1,600-square-metre building, which housed packaging lines for oat flakes and muesli as well as offices, was completely destroyed. No one was injured, and property damage ran into the millions. To maintain delivery capability, the company worked with external service providers at short notice. Administrative units such as accounting, human resources, and purchasing were temporarily relocated. A new building is now planned at the site, where administration will be centralized. Additionally, an additional packaging line is being installed in Plauen to optimize processes. Despite the burdens of the fire, there were no layoffs – the company sees the rebuild as an opportunity for a strengthened future.

• 2023

  New mill in Plauen-Oberlosa inaugurated, doubling daily grain processing from 144 to 280 tonnes; Werk 4 acquired on Lahr airfield site.

• 2021

  Investment of around 23 million euros in new hulling and flake mill and office building in Plauen-Oberlosa.

• 2017

  Werk III in Lahr opens for packaging muesli and oat flakes.

• 2015

  Hulling mill in Plauen-Oberlosa inaugurated (cost: 13 million euros); mill in Lahr-Hugsweier expanded on 9,000 sqm.

• 2014

  Eighth extrusion line commissioned; construction begins on hulling mill in Plauen-Oberlosa.

• 2013

  Rubinmühle Vogtland GmbH founded; new technology replaces three hulling lines.

• 2009

  Warehouse expanded to double storage spaces.

• 2006

  Biomass power plant inaugurated, supplying 10,000 MWh of process steam and covering 80% of steam demand.

• 2002

  New warehouse built.

• 1996

  Additional extrusion line built.

• 1993

  First extrusion line is built.

• 1989

  A new hulling mill is built.

• 1986

  First warehouse built; a mixing and packaging facility for muesli is installed.

• 1978

  A new wheat and rye mill is built.

• 1967

  An animal feed plant is built.

• 1956

  A new grain silo is built.

• 1948

  Robert August Rubin builds one of the first oat mills in southern Germany.

• 1938

  An electric motor is added to the mill.

• 1935

  The mill ceases water power operation and adds a diesel engine.

• 1910

  Karl Rubin III files for bankruptcy; the mill is auctioned for 47,000 marks and bought by his wife.

• 1815

  Karl Ludwig Rubin I becomes the first miller in the Rubin family.

• 1784

  Philipp Jakob Rubin purchases the Obermühle at auction for 5,670 guilders.

• 1684

  The Rubin family begins operating the mill.

• First documentary mention of the Hugsweierer Obermühle in Lahr.

Family-owned, tradition-rich grain mill specializing in organic oats and plant-based ingredients, with a focus on quality, sustainability, and innovation.

• Oat flakes

  Flakes produced from oats, used for breakfast and food manufacturing.

• Specialty milled products

  Specialty flours and milled grain products for various food applications.

• Extrudates and flakes

  Extruded products and flakes for food industry use.

• Extruded flours and granulates

  Flours and granulates produced through extrusion technology.

• Proteins

  Textured proteins for plant-based meat alternatives, produced on modern extrusion lines.

• Muesli

  Muesli products packaged at Werk III in Lahr.

1. 1Rubin-Mühle - bestes aus Getreiderubinmuehle.de
2. 2Rubinmühle - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3Rubinmühle - Wikidatawikidata.org