More than a decade ago, Lindley and Jarden Lynch had a vision to bring a quick, healthy food alternative to Whitefish. They’ve done just that and more.  

Their business, Mountain Berry Bowl,s officially celebrated its 10th anniversary on June 30, 2025, serving the same menu of smoothie bowls since the beginning to patrons in Montana and now across the mountain West.  

The Lynches married in 2013.  Prior to opening Mountain Berry Bowls, Lindley taught at Muldown Elementary School and Jared worked at Sportsman & Ski Haus. The pair felt like their work schedules were constantly interfering.  

“The whole idea behind starting a business was we just wanted to spend more time together,” Lindley said, sitting in downtown Whitefish on a June morning.  

It was Jared who originally thought of the food truck idea, something that the pair had no experience with at the time. However, healthy eating was important to both of them, Lindley reflected, saying that they made smoothie bowls at home. 

After traveling to Hawaii in 2015 and seeing the accessibility of healthy options and the prevalence of acai and smoothie bowls, the food truck idea clicked for the Lynches. It was an “aha” moment, Lindley said.  

In a matter of weeks, they came home, found a food truck for sale in Columbia Falls and officially opened that June at the Whitefish Farmers’ Market.  

“It was mind-blowing. We had wanted a business rooted in the community and to see everybody show up immediately was amazing,” Lindley said. “It’s exactly the same 10 years later, times a thousand." 

When the Lynches began the endeavor, they never anticipated it to grow into what it is today. The first truck was a small trailer parked around Whitefish. In 2016, the pair built another trailer for Kalispell. In 2017, they opened another truck in Missoula.  

The Lynches quickly realized the heavy workload that came with having multiple trucks in multiple cities. They were nervous to franchise the business, worried about the potential for losing the overall mission. However, after a year and a half of Jared’s brother operating the truck in Missoula, the Lynches sold to him. It was their first franchise move, and it still exists in Missoula today. 

“From there, it just grew,” Lindley said.  

Mountain Berry Bowls now has over 20 locations across Montana, Idaho, Washington, Colorado and most recently Utah.  

“I love our daily interactions. It’s been fun for me to watch it grow,” Jared said. “We've gone from one truck to over 20. I don’t know what it’ll look like 10 years down the road, but the past 10 years have been exciting.”   

Today, the Lynches, along with their children Leroy, 6, and Clarke, 2, can be found at the Whitefish truck throughout the summer, catching up with familiar faces and sharing a love for Montana with new ones. 

The Lynches recently sold the Kalispell truck to Steph and Gabe Buzzell, a local family who shares the passion for enhancing community, Lindley said.  

Mountain Berry Bowls features five smoothie bowls on its menu with an option to create a bowl from scratch. The base features organic acai, strawberries, blueberries, banana and unsweetened coconut milk. Each bowl is topped with locally made, gluten-free granola and fresh fruit. 

Each location has the same menu items, with the names of the bowls unique to the city where the truck is located. The original menu in Montana still exists, featuring bowls dubbed “Big Mountain,” “Siyeh Acai” and “Going to the Sun.” 

With locations in Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Polson, Missoula, Bozeman, Livingston and Helena, Mountain Berry Bowls can be found across Montana.  

The Whitefish truck parks at the Whitefish VFW location every day and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Kalispell location is parked along the Parkline Trail near the Red Lion Hotel and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  

For more information, visit mountainberrybowls.com.  

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].