October 30, 2023
By Kearney Adams
Members of the Midvale National Honors Society along with the Midvale Student Body took a field trip to the Golden Valley Vinegar plant located in Fruitland. The students were able to speak with Mr. Roger Fairchild, Former Idaho State Senator and Owner of Golden Valley Vinegar. “About twelve-thousand bottles are manufactured every day..” Says Mr. Fairchild when asked how many bottles of vinegar are produced in his plant.
Mr. Fairchild went on to explain how the Fruitland plant is the only Golden Valley Vinegar plant and is responsible for pressing, fermenting, and bottling the vinegar. The students were able to learn about the process of producing vinegar along with touring the plant. “We only use fresh apples shipped here from Washington, no bad apples or apples picked from the ground are used in the process of making our vinegar.” explains Mr. Fairchild to students and guests present when explaining the process of making the highest quality vinegar.
Upon questioning Mr. Fairchild, we were able to learn that Golden Valley Vinegar is not only local but also distributed all around the United States, eighty percent of national purchases of golden valley are east of the Mississippi. Not only is this high-quality vinegar shipped all over the United States, it also has a presence overseas in countries such as Taiwan, Peru, and Malaysia where high-quantities are exported upon request. After the tour had concluded, Mr. Fairchild generously gave away a free bottle of vinegar to each student and guest who attended the educational experience.
