fbpx

Food Manufacturers Staying Busy as Demand Grows

From creameries to breweries and distilleries, the demand for local food products continues to surge

By Dillon Tabish

The cows are staying busy at the Kalispell Kreamery.

Every day, the 220 Holsteins at the 80-acre family farm on the rural outskirts of town produce roughly 1,500 gallons of milk. After being pasteurized, the milk is bottled in various forms, from creamy non-homogenized whole milk to 2 percent and skim milk, as well as heavy cream. It’s also now being made into all-natural yogurt, including honey flavors and a Greek style yogurt.

The herd of cows living off Farm to Market Road and the all-natural dairy products they produce have become popular across Montana, from Kalispell to Billings and almost every major city in between. In fact, grocery stores are having a hard time keeping Kalispell Kreamery products in stock.

“Our production can’t keep up with the demand,” said co-owner Mary Tuck.

Since Tuck transformed her family’s dairy farm into a full-scale creamery five years ago with her husband Jared Tuck, the Grade A certified processing facility has blossomed into one of the leading food manufacturers in Northwest Montana.

There has been a noticeable shift toward supporting local food producers in recent years, as well as the growing “Farm to Market” trend, which can be seen through the growth of area farmers’ markets and new businesses such as Two Bear Farms.

Earlier this month, the Montana Co-Op announced it was planning to expand into the Flathead Valley with a new hub in Bigfork that will promote buying locally produced food products.

The quality of local food manufacturers and the valley’s increased production was on full display at last week’s Kalispell Chamber of Commerce luncheon, which invited Tuck and other food and drink producers to share their success stories.

Kalispell Kreamery was featured alongside two other thriving businesses: Tamarack Brewing Company, based in Lakeside, and Glacier Distilling Company in Coram.

Tuck said the Kreamery has succeeded because it remains devoted to its core ideals, which are focused on keeping a high-quality all-natural product. That is why the business won’t buy cows from other herds to increase production or make other changes that risk diminishing the creamery’s integrity.

“We know it’s frustrating for grocery stores when they run out of milk, but the reason why we’re popular is because of our dairy practices and quality and if we change that we jeopardize our integrity,” Tuck said.

Tamarack Brewing Company has expanded with a new popular site in downtown Missoula and increased production significantly since opening near Flathead Lake in 2007.

Co-owner Josh Townsley said the widespread support of the valley and the quality local products, especially the crystal-clear water that is used to make Tamarack’s craft beers, have helped the business lay strong roots and grow healthily from Lakeside.

With all of its success in recent years, Tamarack is maxing out its capacity and is in the process of considering expansion ideas, Townsley said.

Nic Lee has a similar success story about the growth of Glacier Distilling Company, nestled in Coram near the western entrance to Glacier National Park. Since the business was founded four years ago, it has grown in size and production. The distillery has a busy tasting room that fills up daily during the heavy summer tourism and then transitions to more production during the quieter winter months.

There are plans in the works for products that include local fruits, such as cherries and apples from across the valley, Lee said.

The topic of alcohol licensing came up during last week’s luncheon, and both Lee and Townsley agreed that the state’s system for regulating businesses such as theirs was flawed, but both men agreed that there isn’t an easy solution.

“The liquor laws and the exemptions and the tiffs and fights you’ve probably seen or followed through the years, between small manufactures and taverns, it’s silly. It’s a no win situation for anyone,” said Townsley, who is also president of the Montana Brewers Association. “We all need to work together in the industry, and try to figure out a solution. But it’s not going to be easy. We’re not just going to be able to say ‘throw it away.’ We all started our businesses in Montana knowing what that system was. We can complain about it, but it is what it is. It won’t be an easy thing to change.”

Mark Lalum, the general manager of CHS and chairman of the Kalispell Chamber’s Agribusiness Committee, said the valley continues to boast a strong agriculture industry as well as several successful food manufacturers.

This growing season has proven to be one of the best in recent years, he said afterward. Corn, wheat and soy crops were especially abundant.

“This is the first big corn crop they’ve had in a couple years,” he said.

Lows prices have been a challenge for the industry, but the valley’s producers have managed to still succeed because of their high-quality products, he said.