Member News

Mark Mulcahy is an award-winning retail consultant, educator, and organic advocate. He consults for co-ops, independent retailers, farmers, and produce distributors worldwide, and has presented numerous workshops at the Provender Alliance Annual Educational Conference over the years. Mark is the co-creator and presenter of the acclaimed Rising Stars leadership development course for natural food retailers which has trained over 2,500 managers, and Roots & Relationships, a fun, thought-provoking, interactive and inspiring journey into the unique legacy of food and its relationship and connection with [Read More]

by Geoffe Weibe – Regional Account Manager, Sprague Pest Solutions As we collectively work to mitigate risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our customers have inquired about Sprague’s ability to perform commercial disinfectant services. In response to this need, we have expanded our service offering to address this need. Our goal at Sprague has always been to work with our customers and communities to provide safer food, and protect the safety of the environments in which we all live [Read More]

Eugene, Oregon—Hummingbird Wholesale introduces a new line of Organic snacks for people who care about food, farmers, health, community, and the planet. Hummingbird Wholesale has launched their grab-and-go Organic snack line. Hummingbird has created this new retail line of snacks, packed in resealable, stand-up kraft pouches in two sizes (2.5 oz and 6 oz). Filled with their small-batch, in-house manufactured products, this line represents Hummingbird’s commitment to Pacific Northwest Organic farmers and ethically sourced, global Organic ingredients. Every Hummingbird Snack [Read More]

by Dave Chapman, Executive Director – The Real Organic Project We were happy to certify Legend Organic Farm as part of the Real Organic Project this past summer. The iconic organic cereal company, Nature’s Path, created Legend Organic Farm to explore and demonstrate the best of organic grain farming. It is a “Think And DO Tank”. Located in Saskatchewan, Canada, Legend Organic Farm is 5000 acres. At a time when the American organic market is being flooded with fraudulently certified [Read More]

by Briana Buckles, Sustainability Manager, East West Tea Company I wanted to share this opportunity for a 2020 sustainability summer intern provided through grant funding as part of the Oregon Applied Sustainability Experience (OASE). East West Tea Company had a great experience hosting an intern through the program this past summer, and I would highly recommend that interested companies apply. Participation is free for companies that are selected because OASE pays the interns directly through grant funding. Interested companies must [Read More]

PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest-based organic produce distributor Organically Grown Company (OGC) is thrilled to announce the addition of Jan McCaffrey to its leadership team. Jan joins OGC with a notable career spanning from entrepreneurial ventures to global leadership. Jan most recently served as Director of Human Resources for the global civil engineering firm David Evans & Associates. Before that, she was Senior Human Resources Manager for Conway/XPO logistics, driving human resources and organizational design strategy across this global logistics company [Read More]

by Sustainable Food and Agriculture Perpetual Purpose Trust Trust Protector Committee Election Announcement The Trust Enforcers have just tallied up the votes from its first election for the Trust Protector Committee, and are pleased to announce the new members: JYOTI STEPHENS (Nature’s Path Foods) DAVID LIVELY (Organically Grown Company) A total of 119 qualified stakeholders participated in the voting. Profiles of both newly elected members are listed below. The Trust Protector Committee is charged with appointing the Board of [Read More]

Northbest Natural Products is offering the first locally grown, certified organic saffron from Chelan, WA. For the last five years, the spice has been grow using organic methods but transitioned to certification in 2019. Branded as “Cyprus Saffron”, the company is a small family owned business, that grows the exotic spice on their 12-acre ranch, where the dry and hot climate in Easter Washington provides the perfect environment for the saffron. A recent interview by local National Public Radio station [Read More]

Organically Grown Company is sponsoring a pre-conference workshop at the EcoFarm Conference in January entitled “Organic Survival: Practical Strategies for Resistance, Resilience, and Regeneration.” Presenters will include three Provender Alliance members:  Brenna Davis (PCC Community Markets, Seattle, WA), Elizabeth Nardi (Organically Grown Company, Eugene, OR), Bob Quinn (Kamut International, Big Sandy, MN), and Albert Straus (Straus Family Creamery, Petaluma, CA). The Registration is now open for EcoFarm and the workshop.workshop will take place on Wednesday, January 22, from 9 a.m. [Read More]

Free Herbalism Workshops in Eugene, OR on October 13: Featuring Expert Herbalists Nicole Telkes and Doug Elliot Mountain Rose Herbs (MRH), is proud to present its 13th Free Herbalism Project at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum on Sunday, October 13 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Free Herbalism Project is a full day of herbal education, live music, food vendors, and all the organic tea you can drink. Nicole Telkes (pronounced: Tell-KISH) will be sharing her passion surrounding Fire Cider [Read More]

About a year ago Organically Grown Company made a decision to protect its mission for the long-term by transitioning its ownership into a purpose trust.  This groundbreaking corporate structure is a form of “steward ownership”–while most businesses serve to maximize profits for shareholders, steward-owned companies focus on maximizing returns to purpose and engaging all stakeholders. One year later, OGC is moving towards qualifying their first “stakeholder” base. Stakeholders are responsible for electing candidates to the Trust Protector Committee annually, and [Read More]

In 2018, Coconut Bliss committed $20,000 to efforts aimed at improving the lives of women in the Philippines through opportunities to start their own businesses. As a woman-led business with a company vision of “Blissful Experiences for All Beings”, Coconut Bliss was inspired by Project Drawdown to find a way to support and enhance the rights and well-being of women and girls. As stated in the book “Drawdown”, which includes the work of 300 scientists, “women and girls are pivotal [Read More]