Of course, as owner of the Bitterroot Valley's own Mexitana Tortilla Co., Whiting has eaten his share of tortillas in the past few years - and dreamed up more than a few creative ways to consume them.
“You've got to try a hot one,” he insists while touring his tortilla-making factory at 1028 Main St. “We used to keep jars of peanut butter and jelly down here. They'd almost melt in the jar.”
“We knew we'd succeed at something,” Whiting says. “We just never thought it would be tortillas.”
Their success has been helped along at least in part by the humble tortilla's rise to one of the top-selling breads in the nation. In the past 10 years, demand for tortillas in the United States has doubled, to $6 billion last year. It's now second only to white bread, according to the Tortilla Industry Association.
It helps that Mexican food is one of the fastest-growing ethnic dishes in the country, said D.A. Davidson senior research analyst Timothy Ramey, who specializes in the food and beverage industry.
“Fifteen years ago, nobody ate sushi or Mexican food - now everybody does,” Ramey says.
The rising popularity of Mexican food can be attributed directly to the growth of the nation's Hispanic population, and indirectly to expanding consumer consciousness of the world's vast array of ethnic foods, he says.
The growing awareness and availability of Mexican food helped launch salsa to its current spot as the No.1 condiment in the nation - ahead of ketchup - and is now doing the same for tortillas.
One of Missoula's newest Mexican-style restaurants, El Diablo, sought out Mexitana tortillas as opening day approached, says owner Mike Eiseman. His restaurant on South Higgins Avenue opened in May with a simple menu of burritos and tacos.
The focus is on fresh, all-natural foods, which makes Mexitana a perfect fit, Eiseman says.
Whiting markets his tortilla company himself, frequently traveling outside the Bitterroot Valley to meet with potential buyers.
“That's how I got it to Butte, Billings, Bozeman, Helena - a lot of driving,” he said. “And once they get it, it becomes one of their top sellers.”
Many restauranteurs and grocers sign on as soon as he tells them his tortillas are Montana made, Whiting said. In fact, the local angle is probably his biggest selling point. His tortillas have traveled fewer miles, and local buyers know they're supporting a local company.
Since his proximity to clients is a major competitive advantage, he strives to make sure everything is as fresh as possible.
“What we make today will go out tomorrow,” Whiting says.
Also, he supports other local entrepreneurs in turn. The raw ingredients for his all-natural tortillas and chips include Montana-grown flour and grain.
Inside Whiting's factory, the flour is machine mixed with other basic ingredients until it reaches a doughy consistency. Then the dough is transferred to another machine that slices it neatly into measured rounds. A worker places the dough balls on a tray and transfers them first to the proofer, then to the press.
A large machine that nearly overwhelms the small manufacturing room flips the flattened tortillas as it bakes them, then fans them cool as it ferries them to a rack. Newly baked tortillas need a few hours to settle, lest they stick during stacking, Whiting explains. When they're ready, employees count, bag and date them.
The manufacturing room booms four days a week, eight to 10 hours each day. Whiting spends the week's remaining days delivering the goods.
The Whitings count many years in the food industry running restaurants and bars in Portsmouth, N.H., where the couple met. After Jon's parents retired to Stevensville, they decided to move to the Bitterroot, too.
They found good jobs in Corvallis and relocated in December 2003. Alison worked as manager of Bitterroot Bistro, and Jon worked for Wayne Pohlman as production manager for Mexitana. He'd been working at the tortilla company for a year when he heard Pohlman talking about relocating the business to Missoula - an expensive move that would have cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Jon's mother, Nel Whiting, suggested he buy the company instead.
The business held a lot of potential, he said, but more than anything, the company has given his family the opportunity to live in and contribute to the Bitterroot Valley.
“This is exactly what we wanted,” Whiting says.
The valley has its challenges as well as its charms, not the least of which is the difficulty finding workers. Mexitana employs five people. They commute from Hamilton, Stevensville and Grantsdale. The Bitterroot Valley is stocked with jobs right now, and workers can take their pick, Whiting says.
In the past five months alone, he's cycled through 15 employees. Much of the work at Mexitana is done by hand, Whiting says. That allows greater quality control, but it's also slower and requires an employee to do the kind of repetitive work few people enjoy.
In addition to flour tortillas, the company turns out organic whole wheat and corn tortillas. Chips, too. Whiting's is also one of very few businesses to use Kamut, a trademarked grain from Kamut International Ltd.
“It's a really healthy grain,” he says, adding that in addition to its higher protein content, Kamut can also be safely digested by many people with wheat allergies.
Whiting is also working on a cross-marketing deal with a salsa maker. He's trying to diversify and expand while remaining conscious of the limits of his physical space.
“The only reason I don't have an automatic stacker is because I don't have the room for it,” he notes. “We've outgrown this building.”
Ideally, he'd like to devote his Corvallis plant solely to corn, and buy or build another factory to handle the flour products. A second, larger facility would allow him to purchase a bigger system.
And eventually, he'd even like to open a little informal restaurant at the front of the factory. Nothing that would compete with his restaurant clients - just a little place where people could stop by for a fresh tortilla and their choice of toppings.
Already, he says, passers-by feel free to drop in for a fresh package.
Reporter Tyler Christensen can be reached at 523-5215 or at tyler.christensen@lee.net
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