The month of October is manufacturing month. From food and beverage packaging to high tech machinery, there are many amazing manufacturers in Southwest Montana. Throughout the month of October we will be celebrating these manufacturers and highlighting the different industries that make up the diverse Montana manufacturing industry. Here are five amazing food and beverage manufacturers in Southwest Montana.
Ranchland Packing
Butte, Montana
The goal of Ashley and Justin Fisher, owners of Ranchland Packing, is to “bring back the lost art of the local butcher.” They offer a wide variety of services, from butchering and packaging custom cuts for family farms to selling wholesale products to restaurants and organizations. Along with their butchering and packaging production, they have a neighborhood butcher shop that offers locally grown meats and other fresh grocery items.
Wind’s Pasties
Anaconda, Montana
Proudly stamped with the “Made in Montana” seal, Wind’s Pasties has been making pasties since 1959. Pasties can be described as a “potpie without the pot,” and are a favorite food of many locals to Southwest Montana thanks to the original Cornish Pasties made by Cornish miner immigrants in the 1800s. Wind’s Pasties distributes their products wholesale to a variety of stores throughout the state.
RiceBran Technologies
Dillon, Montana
Rice Bran is a byproduct of the rice milling process and is full of healthy components such as fatty acids, B-Vitamins, and protein but is typically underutilized. RiceBran Technologies has developed the processes and technologies necessary to stabilize the Rice Bran during the milling process. Rice Bran can then be used in a variety of foods such as bread, pasta and tortillas.
Montana Craft Malt
Butte, Montana
Located in the Montana Connections Business Development Park, Montana Craft Malt produces 10,000 tons of malt annually for craft brewers and distillers. Doing this allows brewers and distillers to have a say in the malt they are sourcing. This is a breath of fresh air after years of corporate brewing conglomerates controlling the supply chain.
Headframe Spirits Inc.
Butte, Montana
Named after the mining headframes left in Butte from the copper mining days, Headframes Spirits Inc. produces both high quality liquors in their distillery and high quality distilling equipment through the brand Headframe Stills. Owners Courtney and John McKee have won many awards and accolades for their products. They are also well known for their efforts to support the Butte community.
BONUS: Sweetgrass Rods
Butte, Montana
Sweetgrass Rods is not a food or beverage manufacturer, but they are a manufacturing company in Southwest Montana that deserves a shoutout. Sweetgrass Rods creates high quality, meticulously crafted bamboo fly fishing rods. Owner Glenn Brackett believes that it is “his most sacred duty to preserve the legacy of fly fishing by teaching others the many lessons of building cane rods.”
BONUS: Better Than Logs
Drummond, Montana
Another great Southwest Montanan manufacturer that doesn’t fit into the food and beverage category is Better Than Logs. They create concrete log siding products perfect for both interior or exterior projects. Reviews say that their product “looks just like ‘real’ wood.”
