Morton Sosland (left) and Neil Sosland
Sosland Publishing is a business-to-business trade publishing company owned and managed by a family of editors and publishers focused on delivering indispensable content to the food industry.
Throughout our history, a content-centric approach has set us apart in the publishing world. This approach remains fundamental to our identity and mission. Through our uncompromising commitment to the highest editorial standards, we are best able to serve our advertisers and the industries we cover.
Brothers David, Sanders and Samuel Sosland (left) decide to launch a milling magazine after being approached by regional millers with the idea.
At the time, Southwestern millers wanted a publication to promote the qualities of flour milled from hard red winter wheat to commercial bakers, as the leading milling publication at the time favored spring wheat millers. With this focus in mind, the brothers formulate plans to introduce a weekly magazine serving the specific interests of flour millers in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas, known as the Southwest.
The Southwestern Miller’s first issue publishes on March 7, 1922. The edition pledges support to Southwestern regional interests on issues such as discriminatory freight rates, inaccurate crop reports, barriers to foreign flour imports and lack of appreciation for hard winter wheat flour on the part of the trade.
At the age of 73, David Sosland (left) dies. His passing marked the end of an era for the company, and the start of a new one for his son Morton , who becomes editor and publisher of The Southwestern Miller. A transition begins that would see Sosland Publishing grow from a one-magazine venture, with a handful of staff mostly named Sosland, to a multi-title business addressing an international audience through the talents of more than 75 staff members.
“Several things helped us rise above the competition,” said Morton Sosland. “We have an extremely strong commitment to keeping abreast and leading readers and the industries we serve with content that must be read by people who want to know what’s going on, especially by those who aspire to advance in their companies. Second, we understand that advertisers deserve much more than simply a medium for advertising, that a whole range of services add value to their investment with us. And third, I would stress the importance of personal contact with the industry, between its leaders and the people who make our magazines work.”
During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, tremendous consolidation in milling and baking prompted many industry publishers to fold. Seizing the opportunity to reach a wider audience, The Southwestern Miller changes its name to Milling & Baking News.
“With the loss of competing magazines, we knew we had a ‘call’ on advertising to bakers that had previously been a hard sell, but we also knew we had to change to capture this opportunity,” said Morton Sosland.
Sosland Publishing hosts its first Purchasing Seminar. The event brings together 200 purchasing executives and suppliers for an intensive look into commodities markets and creates new networking opportunities for attendees. Over the following decades, the Purchasing Seminar becomes a premier industry event. Today, executives from hundreds of companies touching every corner of the food industry register for the Purchasing Seminar.
Sosland Publishing adopts computerized editing and production methods to increase efficiencies and keep pace with the changing publishing landscape.
“We discovered early on that if you did not keep up with technological advances, then it became merely a question of time until you could be forced to cease operation,” said Neil Sosland.
Baking Equipment Quarterly debuts as a supplement to Milling & Baking News to cover the technology, processing and formulating side of the wholesale baking industry. Ten years later, the magazine is introduced as the freestanding monthly magazine Baking & Snack Systems, later shortened to Baking & Snack.
Food Business News introduces Food Entrepreneur as a brand designed to provide the latest news on up-and-coming food startups and track related activity in the investment community and consumer packaged foods sector.
That same year, the Food Entrepreneur Experience debuts in response to industry events cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual event offers an interactive experience for retail buyers, marketers, product developers, ingredient suppliers and founders to hear from entrepreneurs and thought leaders driving disruption throughout the food industry.
Sosland Publishing celebrates its 100th anniversary. To mark a century of delivering indispensable information across the food industry, the company released a series of special feature articles through its brands’ magazines and hosted a centennial celebration during the 2022 International Baking Industry Exposition.
“While our company has grown dramatically from a single title in 1922, it is a commitment to quality content that for 100 years has underpinned our relationships with generations of readers and advertisers,” said Charles S. Sosland, chairman and chief executive officer, Sosland Publishing. “The third and fourth generations of company leadership remain as dedicated as ever to providing accurate, timely and high-quality content.”
Sosland Publishing launched the inaugural Pet Food Processing Exchange, attracting nearly 300 professionals from across the United States. Hosted by Pet Food Processing and parent company Sosland Publishing Co., the conference took place Oct. 6-8 at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Country Club Plaza. Exceeding expectations, the event provided attendees with invaluable insights and opportunities for building connections. Pet Food Processing Exchange will continue to be held annually in Kansas City, Mo.
