Mart Frozen Foods, a division of The Mart Group, officially opened a USD65m state-of-the-art food production facility in Rupert today. Located in Southern Idaho’s ‘Magic Valley,’ the new 100,000-square-foot plant manufactures and packages frozen, completely baked Idaho potatoes known as OH!Tatoes.

With the addition of this new facility, The Mart Group now employs over 230 people in Rupert, right next to its headquarters. Eighty full-time employees will be directly created by the new Mart Frozen Foods plant, which is expected to have an annual economic effect of USD11.15m.

“Through innovative technology, OH!Tatoes has perfected the art of freezing fresh Idaho potatoes so consumers can enjoy fluffy, flavorful baked potatoes in minutes. This expansion allows us to vertically integrate to provide the unmatched quality of baked Idaho potatoes in an easier format, with a longer shelf life, than ever before,” Julian Critchfield, president and CEO of The Mart Group, mentioned.

Home to food giants Chobani, Clif Bar, McCain Foods, and others, Southern Idaho’s eight-county “Magic Valley” region leads the state’s agribusiness industry – contributing nearly half of Idaho’s nearly USD11.3bn in annual agricultural receipts.

The Mart Group’s investment in this new frozen potato technology and production facility is a reflection of the immense promise this region holds for incubating and launching the world’s most innovative agricultural products. Idaho has a rich history of growing some of the top agricultural products in the world – including most famously, our potatoes,” Idaho State Senator, Kelly Anthon, declared.

Branded ‘All Things Food,’ the Southern Idaho region boasts a strong agricultural base of potatoes, row crops, sugar beets, barley, wheat, oats, seed production, pork processing, dairy production, aquaculture, food science, and lamb, mink and honey production.

In addition to superior natural resources, the region offers food companies the infrastructure to process, package, and transport agricultural products. In 2015, Southern Idaho became the nation’s fourth and smallest region to earn the prestigious Federal Manufacturing Community Designation in the Food category.

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.