Wheat Montana: From Seed to Flour to Bread to Franchise
By Ross Bellingham
Photos by Doug Loneman
 The founder and CEO of Wheat Montana, Dean Folkvord, is one of Montana’s most successful “small business” owners. For almost 20 years he has directed a concern that grows wheat and provides products made from it. The family farm is located in Broadwater County near Three Forks, on 11,000 acres that are mostly dry-farmed.
The company distributes flour, bread, and other wheat-based products in all 50 states. Go to any Burger King in Montana and you are guaranteed to have your hamburger served on a Wheat Montana-made bun. The business has licensed eight franchises of Wheat Montana Bakery & Deli throughout the state. Five more franchises are scheduled for Montana in the next few years and plans are in place to open a store in Spokane soon. The company has plans to expand into Idaho and Utah, still using the Montana-grown products that have made Wheat Montana famous. It employs over 150 staff and grosses over $8 million annually.
A Family Affair
Dean Folkvord is a multi-dimensional western man. You might not be surprised that in 1996 he was awarded Montana Entrepreneur of the Year by “Entrepreneur Magazine,” or that in 1999 his family’s operation was awarded Best Managed Farm in the United States by Farm Progress Companies. But Dean was also Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit finals champion in 1983, ran a successful business as an auctioneer, and is a musician and composer whose song, “Can’t Stop from Loving You,” was recorded by country western artist Patty Loveless. The list of boards he has served on is long, from being the chair of the Montana Federal Reserve Bank to serving on the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Montana Board. “I’ve always wanted to lead an extraordinary life,” says Dean. You have to wonder when this man sleeps.
Dean’s extraordinary life has roots in the three generations of Folkvords who have been working the land in Montana. His father, Dale, began dry-farming on land that he bought from Dean’s grandparents near Helena. Dean grew up learning the business of farming. It was talked about around the kitchen table. By nine or ten, he was helping to irrigate, feed cattle, and do whatever else needed doing around the farm. Other kids Dean knew at school had color TVs and went on vacations to places like Disneyland. Dean remembers being jealous of them. For his family, everything revolved around the land. Even a trip to town took place because they had to buy supplies or feed. During those occasions it was quite a treat to stop at the A&W for hamburgers and root beers.
Dean learned about hard work, sacrifice, and risk from his parents. In 1974 Dean’s father bought a 1,200-acre parcel of land near Helena that hadn’t raised a crop for seven years. That year was a very wet year, and the land was generous - yielding 60 bushels of wheat per acre. That was also a year when coincidentally the historic Russian wheat deal’s production plummeted, driving the price of wheat worldwide to a premium. In that single year Dean’s dad was able to almost pay for their new farm. A dry year, with low yields, would have created an entirely different outcome. While this is a successful conclusion to a short story, it also underscores the reality that nature’s weather cycles hold dominion over all who work the land. That same year Dean, a sophomore in high school, fell in love with farming.
Dean and his dad began thinking bigger. As Dean was graduating from high school in 1978, the land that they now have in Three Forks became available. His dad asked him if he wanted to be his partner in a much bigger operation. Dean didn’t hesitate. His dad sold his Helena property and invested all the proceeds to purchase the Three Forks land. Dean wanted to work it with him immediately, but his parents insisted that he get a higher education. He went to MSU and wanted to quit after the first year. But his parents urged him to complete his degree in agricultural science. It was as an MSU student that he met fellow student and future wife, Hope.
In high school Dean had a passion for the rodeo, especially for bull riding. He attended Montana State on a rodeo partial scholarship. However, his farming obligations conflicted with the rodeo season and he often found those ambitions frustrated. Meanwhile, a miracle was taking place on the Three Forks land. Because the soil had been abused for many years, Dean and his dad began to ponder ways to make the land fertile again. They implemented no-till agriculture, conserving topsoil, which was essentially anchored to the land, eliminating the “Dust Bowl Effect” that was so common during that period. The yield improved. In the past 25 years that they have worked it, the land has increased its yield from 20 bushels per acre to a phenomenal 50 bushels per acre.
Success meant that there was more money to invest in the best equipment and cutting edge technology. Now they have computer controlled sprayers, combines, and tractors. They have auto-steer and GPS guidance systems that have resulted in using less fuel per acre, wasting less seed, and cutting labor. Implementing new technology has made it possible for Dean’s dad to work the farm with the help of only one other person. The exception, of course, is harvest. “During harvest it’s all hands on deck,” Dean says. “To be successful, you don’t have to be the first one to adapt to new ways, but you need to be in the top third.” The farm now has 11,000 acres, with 500 acres irrigated.
“If you dream alone, it’s only a dream. That’s one of my mottos. My folks and I shared our dreams. Then we brought Hope into the dream. [No pun intended. Hope is Dean’s wife.] Now we’ve shared dreams with many, many others. As a result, there are a lot of dreams coming true.”
In 1987 Dean and his father learned about new varieties of wheat that baked better, having all the healthful attributes of whole wheat while tasting like white bread. He began to think about bakeries. “My wife thought she was marrying a bull rider but she ended up with a baker,” Dean grins. His business model was based on memories of an old local cheese factory near Whitehall. He wanted to have a bakery right on the highway that would draw customers in the same way the cheese factory had. He wanted the bakery to feature Wheat Montana baked goods and to be as healthful as possible, a wholesome product equaling a beneficial experience for the customer. He wanted the building’s architecture to reflect the essence of Wheat Montana, so the idea of a grain silo became the signature icon. Photographs from the farm, wheat bouquets, and a warm atmosphere help give the customer a feel for the life cycle of the product.
From this strategy came the Wheat Montana Bakery and “Wheat-Plex” in Three Forks just off Highway 287. To provide what customers want, the menu of sandwiches, muffins, and other offerings are constantly evolving. Dean learned that people liked espresso. “First we had to find out what that was. Then we bought an espresso machine and soon melted it. Then we got a good one.” Some years weren’t so easy, such as the years when the Atkins diet was at its most popular. Nobody wanted to eat bread. But now that the diet fad is past, it seems people are eating more bread than ever. “People survived a few years on pork rinds and beef jerky, and now they’re coming back to bread with a vengeance.”
With the success of the Three Forks store came a period of incredible growth and expansion. That facility alone has been expanded several times. With each expansion comes risk, yet Dean’s family continues to move forward. “We have a lot of runways in front of us now, and I think what we’re doing with Wheat Montana is good for us and good for Montana.” Dean reads a lot of self-help books. He says, “It’s important to believe in yourself, believe in your product, and then stick with it.” Also important is being able to do several things well. “A lot of us are good at one thing, but there’s not many people who can do it all. I try to keep learning what others have done successfully. To start from a small business the way we have and then build it, you have to be able to do it all.”
He is a strong believer in beginning with the end in mind. “I think you have to have a picture of where you are going.” Part of that picture for Dean is ultimately developing Wheat Montana into a natural foods company with a nationwide presence. Up until now, Dean has pitched in on every level of the running of the business. When there are too many customers for the staff to handle, he rolls up his sleeves and goes out to the front of the store to wait on people. But expansion of the business has meant hiring more staff and hiring staff at higher levels. “I recognize I can’t continue to keep my arms around all of it.”
 Wheat Montana from the beginning has been a family affair, with Hope being bookkeeper and Dean’s parents running the farm. “My family’s involvement has been key to our success.” Perhaps because of that, the staff at Wheat Montana is viewed as family, and the families of the staff are important as well. “We know that the success of the business is based on having good people, and that if you give them enough for their time and talent they will stay. Nowadays people change careers an average of nine times in their lifetimes. We want people to stay with Wheat Montana for their entire productive careers.”
With so much success already behind him, what keeps Dean still pushing? “I’m developing an exit strategy, turning more of the business over to staff. I think there is an opportunity for public service in Montana. Montana needs entrepreneurial leaders. I think there’s an opportunity for me or someone in my family to provide that.” Dean’s experience serving on the Federal Reserve Bank Board and his own life’s story have given him a deep faith and trust in the American system. “Life gives us choices, and the opportunity to make our own decisions. I believe you just have to be willing to make sacrifices and keep at it - never giving up.”
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