Montana Knife Company Hits $50 Million Revenue, Expands to 125 Employees

1 articles · Updated · Fortune · May 23

$50 million in revenue marks Montana Knife Company's rise from a 2020 garage startup to a Missoula manufacturer with about 125 employees and a new 51,000-square-foot facility.
Josh Smith launched the business after leaving a union lineman job, betting demand existed for American-made hunting knives priced around $300 after years of selling custom blades for $4,000 to $5,000.
Direct-to-consumer weekly product drops fueled early growth: the company targeted $100,000 in 2021 revenue but finished near $1.9 million, then moved from Smith's property into a larger plant in 2023.
$10 million now circulates through its domestic supply chain, with materials and processing spread across states including Idaho, Washington and New York, as tariffs and reshoring incentives bolster the case for U.S. manufacturing.
The company is now integrating AI tools and has set its next target at $100 million to $150 million in revenue.

Can Montana Knife Company's 'Made in USA' model truly defeat global manufacturing giants as it scales to $150 million?

How does a master bladesmith's vision for quality survive the leap from a garage to a 125-person factory?

Is AI the secret weapon for American artisans to finally challenge the dominance of overseas mass production?