Mr. Harold Attebery and two associates opened the Granville Milling Company in Granville, Ohio, on May 4, 1953.  Mr. Attebery worked as a sales representative for several companies that manufactured mill and grain elevator equipment, and this new business seemed a natural extension of his current occupation. In 1958 he moved from his home in Delaware, Ohio, to Granville in order to be closer to his new venture. Between 1955 and 1959 Mr. Attebery bought out the two other stockholders in the company, and it became a one-man enterprise. In 1959 Granville Milling Company became a certified Purina dealer; company sales that year were $162,000 and they operated in the black for the first time since conception. In 1959 and 1960 they added a 400-bushel grain dryer and two 9,000-bushel grain bins. In 1962 they built a chicken house that held 4,000 laying hens.

August 14, 1978 was a notable day: a kid right out of high school was hired to work “back in the mill.” That kid’s name was Phil Watts and he is now the President of the entire company! Harold Attebery is still involved, now serving as the Chairman of the Board.

Granville Milling Company has seen many changes over the years. We have added industrial grain dryers for the corn bins, expanded our fleet of box and semi trucks to enable deliveries, and developed an extensive fertilizer-application business. We now have five retail locations: the main office in Granville, drive-thru’s in Newark, Lancaster and Pataskala, a Country Store in Johnstown, as well as a partnership with Champion Feed and Pet Supply in Delaware.  

The philosophy of the business over the years has been to treat the customers with honesty and courtesy and to provide the products and services they want at a price we can all live with. Apparently it’s working, as we are still in business after 63 years.