An Inside Look at Mountain House Foods

by Ben Rantala, Operations manager, www.safecastle.com

Last week I was afforded the opportunity to visit Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc.--the parent company of the premier freeze-dried food producer in the world, Mountain House.
This invitation to a select few of OFD’s retail dealers doesn’t come around very often at all. The last time they brought in some of their dealers was 15 years ago. Needless to say, lots of things have changed since then.
Before my visit to OFD, I knew very little about the freeze drying process. After all, I am a “bean counter,” as my father likes to say.
I didn’t really know what to expect from my visit to Albany, Oregon. What I walked away with was a greater understanding and a higher appreciation for OFD and Mountain House. Their attention to detail and determination to be the best was quite noticeable right from the beginning ...
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Read the entire article and see the OFD facility.
Some Key Factoids:

OFD got their start in the cereal business and the idea for Mountain House came about near the end of the Vietnam war - when the troops were returning, they were asking where they could buy the LRP's for personal use
Mountain House is the only brand on the market that consists of fully freeze dried food. Other companies market theirs as such, but they have dehydrated components as well, which will not last as long as advertised.
Mountain House foods are fully cooked, then cooled in three stages, and then freeze dried. This helps to trap the flavor in, as well as the nutrients. Other companies will blast-freeze their product, which essentially evaporates the nutrients and the food will never be able to fully reconstitute.
The pouches of a major competitor essentially have only two layers (not including the outer print layer). Mountain House pouches have 7 layers, including a nylon layer which prevents high oxygen transmission. Not having enough layers will allow UV light to penetrate, and advance the rancidity of the food much quicker.