Augason Farms

Augason Farms started with a powdered milk that came in orange. The Augasons introduced Morning Moo's in 1972, and a 2008 KSL segment listed its other flavors as chocolate and strawberry and called it more economical than regular milk. More than 50 years later the Salt Lake City company sells freeze-dried fruit and emergency food kits that run to 45 days, and the milk is still in the catalog.

The founding idea, in the company's words, was that people need help preparing for life's unforeseen events. Early on that meant basics like milk and wheat, and customers cooked everything from scratch. Phil Augason kept widening the line, and by 2008 the company had a building set aside for gluten-free mixes and pastas.

The break came in a grocery store. In 2007 Augason Farms launched its food storage line with Macey's during the chain's annual case lot sale, and Utah Business reported $2.2 million in sales that January. About a decade later its products were in more than 250 Sam's Clubs, and its 72-hour kits were in 3,300 Walmarts. Other chains noticed, and the demand pushed the company beyond Utah.

Mark Augason, who later took over from his parents, explained the strategy to Utah Business in 2017. People "think they might need something because they see something on TV," he said, "But they never react to it." So the company put the food where shoppers already were. He also called water "probably the easiest, cheapest way to be prepared," which is generous advice from a company that sells quick oats by the 4-gallon pail.

Augason Farms says it does its own manufacturing, start to finish, in a facility it owns. Other food companies started asking it to pack their products too, so it set up a contract manufacturing arm called Blue Chip Provisions. The company now says its food is prepared for a shelf life of 25 to 30 years, and that it buys ingredients like oats from the Midwest.

The ownership has changed. In December 2021 the Pittsburgh private equity firm 3 Rivers Capital bought a majority stake in Blue Chip Group, the Salt Lake City company behind Augason Farms, with plans to grow its contract manufacturing and push the brand further into stores and online. Mark Augason now sits on the board, and Nathan Yearsley is president.

Morning Moo's is still sold, now in a 20-serving pouch fortified with vitamins A and D. It mixes with water, which, if Mark Augason's advice holds, you will already have stored.