Oilseed processor Montana Specialty Mills has unveiled their newest plant expansion in Great Falls, further enhancing their capabilities to partner with regional growers and invest in Montana agriculture to produce non-GMO and organic seed oils.
Montana Specialty Mills partners with regional growers and processes specialty oilseeds for food, feed, and industrial use. The company specializes in organic and Non-GMO canola and flaxseed oil, and meal.
Director of Operations for Montana Specialty Mills Christopher Knight says, “ We really are a specialty mills. It's a smaller market, that's why we're expeller pressed only, not solvent extraction. We really try to ride on the healthier side of the oil industry. We leave a little higher oil content in our meal, which also makes it more beneficial feed for dairy, chickens."
Originally built in 2017, the major remodel and upgrade features a new crushing facility, which aims to bring better oil yields out of the seed. The new facility will triple their production capacity, increasing from the previous 50 tons per day to 150 tons. The expansion will also grow employment at the company by about 5%.
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Montana Specialty Mills President Dave Loboy says, “We really see it as a good opportunity for Montana, especially Montana agriculture. There's a real desire now to, you know, the ‘farm to table’. People see there's a lot of value in crops that come out of Montana or the northern prairies, and it gives it a very nice, kind of clean feel to even the end user."
They use an expeller press method as opposed to using chemical solvents to extract seed oil. Once seeds are cleaned, heated up and dried out, they’re brought to the pre-press for the first step in oil extraction, which will remove about 70% of available oil from the seed.
Once fully processed, the oils are shipped out to customers like bakeries, food service suppliers, and food and industrial manufacturers across North America, some even making their way into your kitchen.
For more information on Montana Specialty Mills, click here.
