Greater Grand Forks, ND, is Feeding America
Discover the five companies behind some of your favorite foods.
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, repeat — like clockwork, we are constantly grazing on our favorite foods. But, as we’re scooping up that spoonful of creamy peanut butter or twirling that saucy spaghetti around our fork, we don’t often stop to wonder where our foods got their start.
Insert agribusiness, the thriving industry behind food production. Leading the nation in both food production and processing is Greater Grand Forks, which is made up of Grand Forks, ND, and East Grand Forks, MN. In fact, many of what we consider our “go-to” foods are produced in this region. Curious to know which? Let’s explore five area companies that are churning out some of America’s favorites foods.
In This Article
1. J.R. Simplot Company
Remember the delicious fast-food meal you picked up on your way home from work last week? Chances are that side of crispy french fries was produced by J.R. Simplot Company.
Launched in 1929, this once small business, whose story began in the fields of southern Idaho, has grown into a major food and agriculture company. Today, it has operations across the globe, including Grand Forks, and its work spans multiple industries — farming, ranching, phosphate mining, fertilizer manufacturing and food processing.
When it comes to food processing, the company’s customers range from K-12 schools and universities to supermarkets and restaurants. In fact, after developing the first commercially viable frozen french fries in the late 1940s, J.R. Simplot Company became McDonald’s exclusive supplier of french fries. Though the “golden arches” fast-food chain favors J.R. Simplot’s shoestring fries, other restaurants opt for some of its other crispy creations, such as potato wedges, crinkle-cut, lattice-cut, steak, loop, tin roof and SIDEWINDERS fries, among others. While it is the maestro of potato products, the company also produces foods like guacamole, rice, quinoa and several fruits and vegetables.
2. American Crystal Sugar Company
Ever dress up your morning toast with a fruity jam? Munch on cereal? Sip a soft drink? All these products get their sweet flavor from — you guessed it — sugar. Providing a long list of food manufactures with this ingredient is American Crystal Sugar Company.
Though the current company name wasn’t used until 1934, American Crystal Sugar Company can be traced back to 1890, when a man named Henry Oxnard, along with a few investors, opened a beet sugar factory in Grand Island, NE. Fast forward to 2023, and the company has factories in Crookston, East Grand Forks and Moorhead, MN, as well as Drayton and Hillsboro, ND. Together, these facilities churn out billions of pounds of sugar each processing season.
Before this ingredient finds its way to your plate, its starts in the fields. Sugar beets, grown in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota, are harvested in mid-to-late autumn, trucked to the company’s factories, and then transformed into several types of sugar, such as white granulated, light and dark brown, powdered and more. The different products are then shipped to grocery stores as well as commercial bakers and food manufactures.
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3. North Dakota Mill
Have sugar but need a cup of flour to make your newest baking creation? Well, the Grand Forks region is a pretty great place to find this powdery ingredient, thanks to the North Dakota Mill.
Formed in 1922 by wheat farmers who wanted to combat what many saw as unfair business practices on the part of railroads and milling facilities, this 100-year-old business grinds 40 million bushels of grain per year and is the largest mill in the western hemisphere. The operation is also the only state-owned flour mill in the country, and half of its annual profits are contributed to the State of North Dakota’s general fund to pay for things like roads and schools.
Today, the North Dakota Mill employs hundreds of people and contracts with more than 1,000 farmers to supply wheat. The company produces five types of flour, including all-purpose, whole wheat, white whole wheat, organic and bread – all of which are ready to be added to mixing bowls and kindergarten paste around the world.
Did You Know?
The North Dakota Mill grinds 40 million bushels of grain per year.
4. Philadelphia Macaroni Company
Think back to your childhood for just a minute. Remember the days when mom would present you with a bowl of Campbell’s alphabet soup, and you would nudge the letters with your spoon to form words? As it turns out, these entertaining noodles are created by Philadelphia Macaroni Company, which has locations in a handful of states, including Grand Forks, ND.
Launched back in 1914, this fifth-generation company has been working with Campbell’s since the 1920s. When Campbell’s needed a pasta that could withstand the demands of canning and long-term storage for its alphabet soup, Philadelphia Macaroni Company developed the perfect solution — thick letters made from semolina wheat that not only withstood canning, but also had an exceptional mouthfeel.
In addition to Campbell’s, Philadelphia Macaroni Company works with several other well-known brands to address their challenges and supply them with pasta. The company’s repertoire of products includes angel hair, fettucine, linguini, spaghetti, curly noodles, cavatappi, penne, elbow macaroni, orzo and many more.
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5. Black Gold Farms
You know those salty, crunchy potato chips that are oh, so hard to put down? Well, Black Gold Farms, which is headquartered in Grand Forks, leads the nation in providing potatoes for this addictive snack. The company has nine farms around the U.S. that grow the thin-skinned, high-density, round-shaped potatoes that later become chips. Having these multiple farming locations is highly beneficial, especially when it comes to market timing, delivery efficiencies and managing costs.
Along with potatoes for chips, Black Gold Farms also leads the nation in growing, packaging and shipping red potatoes. This means that whether you’ve picked up a bag at the grocery store to roast in the oven or ordered a dish with red potatoes at a restaurant, you’ve more than likely tasted Black Gold Farm’s product. Like its “chip” potatoes, its red spuds are grown in multiple states, including North Dakota, Indiana, Texas, Missouri and Arizona.
At the helm of Black Gold Farms is the Halverson Family, which has been growing potatoes since 1928. Now in its fourth generation, the company continuously stives to grow the perfect potatoes.
In Grand Forks the humble potato gets lauded as a hero once a year during the community’s Potato Bowl Week — an entire festival that includes a french fry feed, parade and UND football game, complete with tailgating.
Eager to learn more about Grand Forks? Start here.
This article was sponsored by the Grand Forks Region EDC.