Wheat Montana to open franchise in Helena, Bozeman and Missoula

Wheat Montana Bakery will open franchise stores in both Helena and Bozeman this spring, and in Missoula this coming summer, company representatives said Thursday.

By MARTIN J. KIDSTON, IR Staff Writer

Vince Furst, franchise director with Wheat Montana Bakery in Three Forks, said the company was looking to expand, and like Bozeman and Missoula, Helena fit the company’s plans.
"We were looking for the right-sized population base and economic profile," Furst said. "We’re talking about opening there next spring."

Furst said the bread would be shipped daily from Three Forks to the franchise store in Helena, which is being built by Golden Eagle Construction of Helena on North Main Street adjacent to NAPA Auto Parts.

What the Helena store elects to offer, Furst said, would be left up to franchise owner Richard Neumann.
C.J. Neumann, Richard’s wife, said they were shooting for a March opening.

Dubbed Wheat Helena, the project largely hinged on finding the appropriate property. While other locations were considered, Neumann said, the location on North Main emerged as the ideal spot.

Neumann said the new store will offer everything from jams and syrups to pottery cast by local artists, including a Lincoln woman who "works out of her house deep in the mountains."
The store will offer a daily bread special, bags of flour and grains, and a deli with indoor and outdoor seating.

"There might be a little pond or creek out there," Neumann said of the property’s landscaping. "There will be an area that can be used for corporate lunches, and we’re also looking at catering, but I don’t know if we’ll start that right off the bat."
Neumann said her husband has already hired a store manager.
The franchise store will strive to fill requests for items not currently offered.

"It’s a pretty exciting venture," Neumann said. "We’ll be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day until we feel out the market."
The building, designed by Karhu and Cullen Architects and Planners of Helena, will offer approximately 8,000 square feet of combined office and retail space.

The property is owned by Dean Randash of Helena, who is currently out of town. Karhu and Cullen declined to comment on the project until Randash returned from vacation.

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