POLSON – This Montana Made report features a Flathead area juice making company that’s growing.
Some big-name grocery stores have begun picking up the product which is made from Flathead cherries.
Its creator said the local flavor brings a special quality to the product.
“Montana just has this mystique,” said Tabletree Montana owner Gary Snow.
He said the mystique of Montana can be found in the products that come from its soil.
Tabletree Montana is a juice-making business sourcing Flathead area cherries and Snow said it makes all the difference in creating this blossoming product.
“It’s just kind of the perfect storm of climate and soil and growing practices that make for good fruit. And you’ve got to start with good fruit for good juice,” he said.
Tabletree cherry juice sold 52,000 small bottles last year after moving their Canadian business to Montana a couple years ago.
The product is growing in popularity and some franchise grocery stores like Costco plan to pick up more large-size bottles.
“Overall we’ll have more to sell. We’re really going for like three or four times more than what we did in the big bottles last year because we found that there is a good market for those,” Snow said.
Their production is seasonal now, but they plan to branch out into apple or pear juice that can be produced in the winter months.
The juice is already available in several locally owned grocery stores.
Augusta McDonnell – MTN News
