The Local (and Global) Impact of Famous Idaho Potatoes
“Family-owned business” conjures a very specific image: a simple storefront on a small-town Main Street that serves loyal, local regulars, but whose reach doesn’t extend much beyond the county.
But for Mart Fresh Pack (formerly Mart Produce), that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, the operation is family-owned – by four families, in fact – but in addition to distributing Idaho potatoes across the United States, it also sends veggies to Asia and Mexico.
Duane Grant, executive chairman of the Mart Group, a parent company, is the second of three generations to own and operate Grant 4-D Farms in Rupert; the operation joined the Mart Group in 2014.
“The Hansen family farm formed Mart Produce in 1980, which was shortly after joined by the Duncan family farm, and then the Jentzsch family farm, and our farm, Grant 4-D, joined in 2014,” Grant says.
Those families own the bulk of the farms that supply the company.
“We source from multiple farms, all owned by the four families that own the Mart Group, plus a few other growers that operate under our standards,” Grant says. “Combined, we currently have over 30,000 acres planted.”
Mart Fresh Pack started out as a relatively simple operation, or “fresh-pack shed,” where potatoes straight from the field are cleaned, sorted by size and then bagged up to be sold to consumers, distributors and retail customers.
Over the years, the operation expanded, with the addition of frozen and dehydrated potatoes under the Mart Frozen Foods and Mart Processing Solutions arms of the business. In October 2024, for example, Mart Frozen Foods launched a $65 million, 100,000-square-foot factory in Rupert dedicated to producing OH!Tatoes. In addition, last year marked the expansion of Mart Fresh Pack into Mexico.
“We diversified over the last 10 years to be growers and processors,” Grant says.
He also credits Potatoes USA and the Idaho Potato Commission in helping establish global brand recognition for Idaho potatoes.
“Both work diligently to promote the benefits of domestic potatoes, and these standards are recognized as the benchmark worldwide,” he explains.
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