This spring, it’s Marinara Madness in Montana!
In partnership with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, we are once again sending shipments of Montana Marinara to schools all over the state this January. Let's make the most of this opportunity to bring students and staff closer to their local farms and the food they grow.
More than 140 school districts across the state purchased our locally sourced, picky-eater-approved Montana Marinara sauce this year.
What is Montana Marinara?
By the numbers…
143
Number of Montana school districts that have ordered.
11,704
Pounds of fresh, locally sourced ingredients purchased.
132
Average miles traveled from farm to processing facility.
Montana Marinara is part of a line of locally sourced value-added products designed with schools in mind. We divert USDA Foods tomatoes to Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (Ronan, MT) where they’re combined with Montana-grown carrots, onions, squash, and safflower oil sourced through our member hub Western Montana Growers Cooperative (Missoula, MT). The final product is veggie-packed, cost-conscious, and accessible to districts across the state through the Montana Office of Public Instruction’s distribution network. By working together, we leverage each other’s strengths, support Montana farmers, and expand access to affordable local food.
Celebrate with us!
We’re encouraging teachers and staff in districts across the state to plan activities connecting the cafeteria, classroom, and community. Think of it as a special springtime edition of Farm to School Month focused on how our farms, food hubs, and school nutrition staff are working together to expand access to local food. Click below to access our Marinara Madness toolkit, which features ideas for festivities, recipes, and resources—everything you need to cultivate and celebrate connections in your community.
Our Source Farms
Lowdown Farm (Moeise, MT)
On their small family farm in the Moiese Valley, farmer Ian and his team use a holistic approach to agriculture to maintain healthy soils and habitat for wildlife.
Kaly and Brian have been farming in Montana for more than a decade, growing produce that is healthy both for people and earth in which it is grown.
Harlequin Produce (Arlee, MT)
The Oil Barn (Shelby, MT)
The Oil Barn is a small, women-owned business that sources Certified Organic ingredients from local family farms to make cold-pressed artisan oils.
Rocky Mountain Produce (Augusta, MT)
Based in the Lewis and Clark Range, Rocky Mountain Produce is proud to grow nutritious foods on their 10-acre farm using rocky mountain water and clean mountain air.
Fairhaven Colony (Ulm, MT)
The Hutterites of Fairhaven Colony produce an abundance of high-quality produce that feed families and communities far and wide.
Take our word for it…
“Montana Marinara has been a great project to be a part of. Not only do we love delivering delicious local food to our schools but reliable markets like the Farm to School program gives us the security of a guaranteed sale and an outlet for produce that might not meet aesthetic standards.”
— Ian Barry, Lowdown Farm
“I think the most impressive part of the Montana Marinara project is the collaboration of all the entities that it took to be successful—OPI's sourcing and distribution, Mission Mountain’s processing facility, local farmers’ buy-in. All Montana schools will benefit greatly.”
— Jay Stagg, Montana Farm to School Coordinator
