The new Mart Frozen Foods plant in Rupert, Idaho.

RUPERT, Idaho — The owners of Mart Frozen Foods, a subsidiary of The Mart Group, cut the ribbon Oct. 2 on its new $65 million high-tech food manufacturing facility.

Located about 50 miles east of Twin Falls, the new 100,000-square-foot plant produces and packages frozen, fully baked Idaho potatoes marketed as OH!Tatoes.

“In southern Idaho, where we are all things food, we are innovating the food sector in a way that will really provide a great future for this region,” said Kelly Anthon, state Senate majority leader and Mart board member.

This demonstrates one more time the power of agriculture in Idaho’s economy, he said.

The new facility is testament to Idaho’s entrepreneurial spirit, said Gov. Brad Little.

Plants like this are important because they add value to Idaho’s products and value to the state, he said.

No. 1 customer

Japan is the No. 1 customer of the potato product that’s being manufactured in the facility, and that business made the plant possible, Anthon said.

Japanese Consul General Yuzo Yoshioka said Japan enjoys Idaho potatoes and it is an honor and a pleasure to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The plant is a significant milestone that came to fruition through hard work, dedication and a shared vision, said Julian Critchfield, Mart CEO.

The business’ roots trace back to the 1950s as Mart Produce. Two of the original owners, John Hansen and Jack Duncan, operated a small shed and had a vision of selling to the national market, he said.

In 2023, the four family farms that own Mart had a dream of building a frozen potato facility. The new plant is a testament to the resiliency and commitment of the agricultural community, and partnership with state and local government and the community made it possible, he said.

College plant

The project started with a small “college” plant in Burley three years ago because Mart wanted to integrate further into the supply chain, closer to consumers, said Duane Grant, Mart chairman of the board.

“We learned a lot,” he said.

Grant 4-D Farms bought into Mart in 2014, he said.

“It’s been a very good experience. We learned we’re definitely stronger together than individually,” he said.

The partnership of Duncan Circle D Farms, Hansen Farms, Jentzsch Kearl Farms and Grant 4-D Farms allowed Mart to capture opportunities that wouldn’t be available to any of the farms individually, he said.

Fresh pack

Mart operates one of the largest fresh pack plants in Idaho, supplying potatoes to Simplot, McCain Foods and Lamb Weston for french fry production. Last year, the company started a small operation to produce dehydrated potato flakes and flour as industrial ingredients.

“It’s been a great adventure,” he said.

The new facility is adjacent to The Mart Group’s headquarters. It will directly create 80 full-time jobs and have an estimated annual economic impact of $11.15 million.

OH!Tatoes will be the first-of-its-kind whole baked frozen potato available to consumers in North America at stores including Publix, Harris Teeter and Associated Foods.