An award-winning student-made documentary featuring two Flathead Valley businesses will air May 26 and June 5 on MontanaPBS.

“Business: Made in Montana” will profile Kalispell Kreamery and Flathead Lake Brewing Co., along with Louie’s Montana Pastries in Deer Lodge, KornUtopia in Missoula, Bad Goat Forest Products in Missoula and Montana Silversmiths in Columbus.

The documentary focuses on how Kalispell Kreamery cares for cows with its Cow Bill of Rights, hoping extra care produces a better product. Flathead Lake Brewing’s efforts to protecting the environment while brewing new beer are also examined in the film.

The film features businesses across several different industries, from the time-tested agricultural industry, to the wood products industry, to the emerging market for craft brewers.

“I thought we had a wide variety of businesses. It’s a good variety of past and present and maybe even some future in there,” University of Montana School of Journalism professor Ray Ekness said.

Journalism students at the University of Montana shot and produced the documentary, the most recent in the annual series that features products made around the state.

The program was produced during the 2015 fall semester. Traditionally, the film is a chance for radio-television students to refine their production skills while focusing on the Montana resources and manpower that create products purchased in state and sometimes around the world. Ekness said the documentary is an important project for students as they develop their skills in production.

“For me, it’s a fun exercise to see the students grow. This is produced in the last half of the semester, where they make incredible growth. They do a good job of highlighting these businesses,” Ekness said.

In the past 23 years, the documentary has covered more than 200 different businesses across the state. Ekness said in that time, the ongoing series has never covered the same business twice. But in it’s 25th year, Ekness hopes to begin returning to past businesses for a catch-up feature on how different companies have grown.

“There’s manufacturing and family businesses and it’s nice for our students to get out and see the impact on the state’s economy from small businesses,” Ekness said.

“Business: Made in Montana” was funded in part by the Greater Montana Foundation. The foundation provides grants to projects like “Made in Montana” to improve the quality of communications on significant issues around the state.

The documentary airs at 7:30 p.m. on May 26 and 10:30 a.m. on June 5. For more information, visit www.MontanaPBS.org.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.