Arva Flour Mills Limited - "Best flour by a dam site"

Since 1820, quality has been a tradition at the Arva Four Mill. Between 1842 & 1917 the mill has had five different owners. In 1917 the mill was purchased by C.W. Scott and H. Templeman, which was the beginning of where it is today. The mill was then acquired by Clarence Scott's son, Harold, in 1961. Harold then sold the mill to his son-in-law, Bill Matthews, in 1981. Today, Bill's daughter and two sons work at the mill in hopes of taking it over in the future. Still using water power from Medway Creek, this family-run operation is truly unique and an experience you should not miss.

a brief history

When the mill was first built with barter and a little cash, on the bank of what used to be Martin's Creek back in the 1820's, Arva was indeed the country. In gracious yellow-brick homes with working farms, prominent London families sought to escape the hectic pace of the city. Today, like the mill, many of the original farming families remain--folks like the McClarys, the Donaldsons and the Fortners. Because of a fire in Arva in 1869, some records were lost, so the first recorded owner of the mill was Edward Matthews in 1842. By 1917, a succession of owners found the mill in the hands of H. Templeman and his partner Clarence Scott, whose son Harold incorporated it in 1961. Harold Scott's son-in-law, Bill Matthews, a Montreal native raised in Sarnia (no relation to Edward), became manager of the mill in 1978. In 1981, Matthews finally bought the mill from his father-in-law. ("I'm an old sailor," jokes Matthews, enjoying the unsavory stereotype. "I married the miller's daughter," his wife Susan.) So now the Arva Flour Mill has been in the same family for about 80 years with the promise of many more.

This site is owned by Arva Flour Mills Limited, Arva, Ontario, Canada.