The Portland Guide

Portland, Oregon is one of those places that defies an easy description. This city is stunning. Hugged by emerald forests and filled with friendly people, it is progressive to its core. It is also a town that has set the bar when it comes to caring for others and the planet, and encouraging entrepreneurial ingenuity.

We love this city for all of the above, as well as its bevy of locally produced, ethically created, health-conscious goods. It is the place for dinners made of ingredients sourced within a handful of miles from your plate. For fresh organic kombucha and handmade vegan chocolate. For pasture- and humanely-raised meat. Every corner reveals a gem. But if traveling here isn’t on your radar (or isn’t feasible in these times), you can still experience the essence of Portland by ordering many of its locally made goods. 

One last note: If you’re reading this and you’re from Portland (or you love Portland), you may very well think: There is also this maker, and this boutique, and this craftsman. We hear you. This city is packed to the brim with noteworthy small brands. Our inclusions here mirror what’s on our radar, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. If you have a burning suggestion, we’d love to hear from you as we’ll be updating our list throughout the year.

Beverages

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

It seems that Stumptown is slowly becoming a household name, but this coffee still comes from a Portland brand that is small at its core. Their beans are responsibly sourced and mostly certified organic. But what we love most about this company is its B Corporation status, which means that it has gone through a rigorous certification process to ensure that it puts the benefit of its people, community, and the planet first.

 T Project

Founder Teri Gelber has a mutual love for quality tea and togetherness. She created T Project, her studio and tea line, as a way to encourage people to gather over her loose-leaf blends. A food industry veteran, Gelber sources organic teas, herbs, and spices from around the world and hand-mixes them in her quaint Portland space. The blends are worldly and beautiful—and each one is named after a nostalgic song. Diamonds and Rust, an Oolong nod to Joan Baez, is one of our favorites.

Tio’s Water Kefir

Uplifting and refreshing, Tio’s small-batch kefirs are made primarily of Oregon-grown ingredients like local blueberries and organic ginger root. The kefir is light, full of probiotics, and contains no added sugars, coloring, or preservatives. 

Meat and Poultry

Pasture PDX

The two founders of Pasture, Kei Ohdera and John Schaible, are single-handedly evolving the way meat is procured here in the states. They focus on animal husbandry, the holistic, ethical practice of breeding, raising, and caring for an animal its entire life before it is humanely slaughtered for meat.  Kei and John know their animals well, as well as all the farmers with whom they partner. They offer fresh-cut meats and often collaborate with local restaurants and purveyors to offer local lunches and dinners.

Deck Family Farm

Located on more than 300 acres of rolling farmland in Willamette Valley, Deck Family Farm produces organic, pasture-raised meat and poultry. The family prides itself on allowing the animals to roam free on the pasture, and follows various regenerative and sustainable farming practices. Fresh cuts of meat, whole chickens, and sausages are available to ship, as well as sides of animals for larger purchases.

Chocolates and Other Sweets

Moonstruck Chocolate

Small batch and super creamy, Moonstruck exemplifies the concept of responsibly made. Each of their chocolates include ingredients sourced from the Pacific Northwest, as well as cocoa that is ethically procured. The team, which makes all of the truffles, hot chocolate, and bars in their Portland factory, teams up with Cocoa Horizons, an impact-driven program that aims to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in West Africa.

Woodblock Chocolate

Husband and wife team Jessica and Charley Wheelock create all of their artisanal chocolates in their northeast Portland manufactory. There is also a tiny cafe which is lined with giant glass windows which give you a front row seat to the roasting, melting, and mixing of the cacao beans. Their chocolate bars and drinking chocolates are pure and creamy, and boast the loveliest artistic packaging. 

Grains, Nuts, Seeds, Spices, and Oils 

Lonesome Whistle Grains

Lone Whistle has been sustainably growing organic heirloom grains for almost twenty years. Locals flock to their stand at various farmers markets in Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis to stock up on organic popcorn, stone ground flours, Abenaki corn polenta, rolled oats, and buckwheat pancake flour mix. 

Oomphs Cooking Blends

The name really says it all. A pinch of an Oomph blend adds a layered depth to vegetables, scrambled eggs, grilled meats, stir-frys, and soups, bringing out the flavor potential of a dish. Made of spices and dehydrated vegetables, each blend is free of additives, colorings, GMO ingredients, preservatives, and pesticides. Its founders created the line after looking for creative and clean ways to add flavor to their GAPS diet dishes. It’s a little east Portland company creating an innovative, healthy way to season food. 

Jacobsen Salt Co. 

While all salt technically may have been naturally created equal way back when, not all salt is sourced to be equal. (Buying “sea salt” that is really mislabeled table salt is a pet peeve of ours.) That’s why we love Jacobson salt. They harvest it straight from the clean waters of Netarts Bay, right off the Oregon Coast. (There are a few exceptions, such as the Pink Himalyan Salt, which they source from rock salt in the mountains of Pakistan.) Jacobson’s flaked sea salts are mineral-rich, crisp, and perfect for finishing a dish. Their kosher salt is briny and ideal for cooking. And if you want a real treat, consider one of their infused salts that are mixed with spices, herbs, and even wine. 

Ground Up

This Portland-based small, female-founded company makes creamy hand-crafted nut butters that are free of peanuts, palm oil, dairy, sugar, and gluten. Their flavors are inventive: coconut cardamom with chia seed, cashew, and almond butter; spicy tahini cashew butter made with Diaspora chiles (a PrimaFoodie favorite); cinnamon snickerdoodle. And their business model is even more inventive, as well as inclusive: Through its training program, the team works with women who are overcoming obstacles and various adversities.

Durant

Durant is a scenic vineyard, winery, and olioteca located in the stunning Willamette Valley just south of Portland. Their olive oil is pressed on location from primarily olives grown on the estate, as well as some from high-end growers in Northern California.

Portlandia Foods

Considering how hard it is to find condiments free of gluten and additives, we were thrilled to discover Portlandia Foods. Each of the condiments, which include BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, are made of Oregon Tilth Certified Organic ingredients and contain no gluten or artificial colorings. 

Breads

New Cascadia Traditional

New Cascadia’s start is a classic small-brand story. Struggling with a gluten intolerance, co-founder Chris Gumke couldn’t find any quality bread made without wheat. So he and his wife, Teresa, decided to make their own and sell it at the Portland farmers market. It took off, to say the least, and today New Cascadia’s gluten-free breads, doughs, pastries, and more are available all over Portland and via mail order.

Visiting Your Local Farmers' Market? Here's What That Really Means

Visiting your local farmers market isn't about spending an hour wandering through a maze of inconsistent offerings. It is about doing something that is good for you. People who consistently buy produce, dairy, and other provisions from their local farmers’ market benefit in three ways: better nutrition, stronger community connections, and ongoing learning. And that is just the start. Drawing on my own experience and research, the reasons to go to the farmers market are wide-ranging, making it easy to turn this trip into a lifetime habit.

Nutrient-dense produce. Farmers’ market fruits and vegetables are picked at peak freshness, often the morning of or the day before, so they retain higher nutrient levels. Farmers' proximity makes this possible, whereas most commercial produce (organic and conventional) is farmed farther away. This means produce is often picked days, sometimes weeks, before it ripens so it can be packaged and shipped. Research shows these methods can reduce fruits and vegetables' nutritional value by up to half by the time they reach the grocery store. In contrast, locally sourced produce has higher vitamin and mineral integrity.

Lower carbon footprint. Because farmers' market produce hasn’t traveled thousands of miles to reach you, it has a smaller environmental impact from transport. Also, farmers and purveyors are more likely to follow mindful, sustainable practices.

Greater food transparency. Market vendors are often closely involved in the practice, most often the actual farmer. They are passionate about what they do and are often thrilled to share their farming practices. When I meet a new vendor, I like to ask about their methods. Some questions to consider are:

• Are they certified organic? If not, do they spray pesticides?

• Is there risk of pesticide contamination from neighboring farms?

• Do they sell what they grow?

• Do they use GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds?

• How are their animals housed and fed? Do they have outdoor pasture?

• If the farm processes its own animals, how does it do that?

Larger food processing operations and commercial farms, even certified organic ones, can still use cruel animal practices or have a high carbon footprint. This is why so many are often cloaked in secrecy, unlike smaller local farms that tend to welcome visitors and answer questions. So, talk to your vendors. They love building relationships with customers.

Vibrant flavor. Hands down, farmers market produce tastes better. A fresh tomato from the grocer and one from the farmers market are like two entirely different pieces of produce. The farmers market pick bursts with brightness, sweetness, tanginess, and lots of juice. The grocery store option will taste watery at best. This all goes back to its being picked at peak ripeness and not having to travel so far.

Seasonality and better variety. Go to the grocery store in November, and you’re likely to see the same produce you see in June. Head to the farmers market in November, and you’ll find kohlrabi, blue hubbard squash, and cardoons. The grocer’s goal is to stock the most popular and profitable produce year-round—even if that means sourcing it from South America. The point is, everything at the farmers market is local and seasonal, opening up a new world of fruits and vegetables that rarely get real estate in the produce aisle.

As you’ll see, shopping at the farmer’s market is part of a lifestyle shift. A consistent part of my family’s weekly routine, it's how we connect with our community and the food we eat.

To borrow from Michael Pollan, we have become a nation of “industrial eaters,” expecting access to any type of food at any time. This comes at the cost of our health and perpetuates a corrupt food system. By making small shifts in how we shop, we can create bigger waves of change at home, on our plates, and around the world.

Critical Books and Films Exploring Our Planet and Food System

Thirty to 40 percent of the US food supply is wasted every year while millions of Americans face food insecurity. The vast majority of conventional foods are made of genetically modified corn. Industrial agriculture contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. These facts, as unconscionable as they are, still plague much of our country. They are major faults in our global food system, leaving us scratching our heads: What can be done? The answer lies in major changes to American policies, corporate systems, and habits. Where do we start? With awareness and a deep appreciation for real food, which each of these books and documentaries offers.   

Documentaries

Food Inc.

Some scenes in Food Inc. are so horrifying and edifying at the same time that they’ll leave you a changed consumer. That is the point of this documentary, which still informs more than a decade after its release. The facts outlined are vital. For starters, mammoth corporations like Monsanto control far more than the pesticides on conventional crops. They control the foods on display in our grocery stores and how it’s marketed. Filmmaker Robert Kenner exposes the corrupt food chain in the US, taking us on a wild, eye-opening ride from the factory farm to the processing plant to our dinner plate. 

The Biggest Little Farm

This encouraging, uplifting documentary shows how a young couple turned a nutrient-depleted plot of land into a thriving regenerative farm. When John Chester and his wife, Molly, spotted the 200 acres outside of LA, they were farming neophytes. Their lack of knowledge didn't pair well with the fact that the land had suffered a severe drought and needed intensive restoration. Willing to fight the uphill battle, John and Molly learned everything they could and worked tirelessly for eight years straight to bring the land to life. They captured nearly every moment of planting, sowing, and watering on video. Today, the land is a fully functioning regenerative farm focused on nutrient-rich soil to grow mineral-rich food and raise healthy farm animals. Their story is a map to get more involved with where our food comes from, and to honor Mother Nature.

Wasted! The Story of Food Waste.

The late Anthony Bourdain narrates this documentary, lending his civic-minded concern to a topic he most valued: food and its potential to impact people. But instead of telling stories of eating and togetherness, this film focuses on the broken global food system that continues to produce exorbitant amounts of waste—an estimated 80 billion pounds annually in the US—while millions face food insecurity. This is in tandem with the other issues that food waste creates, including greenhouse gases and biodiversity loss. Prominent chefs and activists shed light on their efforts to fix the system, including chef Dan Barber who speaks of using product scraps in dishes. How can you look at your kitchen in a different light? What parts of the vegetable are you tossing out? And how can we demand change from the industry? This insightful film begs all these questions and more.

 Cooked

We’ll read or watch anything by Michael Pollan. The journalist, author, food activist, and professor has a talent for rendering a subject into a poetic lesson. He writes about food, botany, and life in a captivating, educational way. He brings this skill to the screen with Cooked, the four-part series based on his book of the same name. In each episode, Pollan distills cooking to four main elements—water, fire, earth, and air—and explores how each can change food. The stories take us across the globe, from India to Australia to the deep woods of North Carolina. Pollan touches on the history and techniques before exploring the profound ways food brings people together.

Books

Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat

Through rigorous scientific research, Dr. Marion Nestle reveals how the food industry is manipulating nutrition science. She explains how the most heavily marketed foods are ultra-processed, which are huge culprits in both obesity and poor diets. Nestle, who is a revered nutritionist, peels back the layers and unveils a system that is riddled with corruption and scary tactics, and driven by profit. Unsavory Truth arms us with the knowledge we need to start to make clearer eating choices that put our health first.

Salt Fat Acid Heat

Years ago, chef Samrin Nosrat audited Pollan’s food journalism class at UC Berkeley, an education that undoubtedly serviced the making of her book. In Salt Fat Acid Heat, Nosrat writes with a clarity and warmth that pulls you in. Part cookbook, part lifetime guide, this resource serves as a way to better understand the art of cooking and the integrity of pure ingredients. Rather than merely telling you what to do when, Nosrat explains the how, why, and where of food, instilling in the reader an understanding and deep appreciation. Every page is an exploration of layers and concepts, from soaking to roasting to whipping fresh cream. This is a book to keep on hand so you can reference it with trust, much like a dear friend.

Salt Sugar Fat

While we have yet to read this at PrimaFoodie, this book is at the top of our lists. Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Michael Moss unveils the corrupt world of corporate food manufacturers and giant food chains, detailing the cryptic use of marketing to get people hooked on fast, sugary, unhealthy foods. Using his groundbreaking research, Moss is figuring out how to work WITH business to change the food supply for the better. 

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite

Revisiting this book by former FDA commissioner, Dr. David Kessler, seems like a good idea right now when COVID-19 is severely impacting those with obesity and related chronic diseases. Kessler is armed with wisdom from working inside of the FDA-food supply apparatus, yet his book remains objective. His main premise is that the public has a right to a transparent food supply chain (knowing what’s in our food and potential related health risks to the ingredients) and that each cog in the supply chain, including all types of restaurants, be required to label the ingredients and calories in the food. Further, he addresses one of the most insidious culprits: food marketing.

The Wahls Protocol

Dr. Terry Wahls once battled such severe progressive multiple sclerosis, she had to succumb to living her life from a reclining wheelchair. Wahls, who had access to the most advanced medicine in existence, tried every treatment to ease her symptoms, but nothing worked. As she faced the possibility of being bedridden, she started looking for alternative answers, starting with her diet. Three months after adopting a combination of a true paleo diet and functional medicine, she started walking with a cane. After six months she could walk unaided. Now, she can walk, bike, and even jog. Her focus is on maximizing nutrients for the brain. Her discoveries have been revolutionary for her and her patients.

The PrimaFoodie Guide to Conscious Small Brands: Coast to Coast Edition

The journey to clean and conscious eating has its challenges. Regions throughout the US still lack access to fresh ingredients. People are strapped for time, desire, or nutrition information. There is also an abundance of misinformation and greenwashing, as countless manufacturers continue to include harmful ingredients while claiming their products to be “natural.” These issues feed the dark truth behind the global food system.

It is because of these reasons, and many others, that we do what we do at PrimaFoodie.  For too long, barriers to clean food have thwarted progress. We want to call out the bad and call in the good—the farmers, educators, and entrepreneurs who are working to provide the world with accessible, honest, nutritious food. You’ll find those pioneers in this roundup of conscious small brands.

Each of these independently owned companies distributes or produces foods that are wholesome and clean, and they do so transparently and fairly. They provide information about their supply chains and work to make their pricing fair and attainable. They also put people over profits. We believe that fairness and equality are as essential as organic and non-GMO.

This guide will be an evolving project. For this first chapter, we’ve included purveyors and makers that ship nationally (or to most of the US). We’ll continue to add to it as we explore new companies.

Like anything, a real shift starts with small steps. The more people support independent brands, the less momentum the corrupt global food conglomerates will have. This all begins with ideas, which grow into conversations and ultimately a global movement.

A Guide to Small Conscious Brands

Meat and Poultry

8 O'Clock Ranch

John and Kassandra Barton have been sustainably raising their animals on their upstate New York Farm for more than twenty years. They started out with sheep, and eventually included cows, pigs, and chickens. Today, they partner with several other local farmers and ranchers to offer humanely raised, grass-fed beef, chicken, and pork, as well as maple syrup and local CSA boxes.

Peads and Barnett

Fresh air. Open, spacious fields. Zero GMO foods. These tenets are paramount in how the founders behind Peads and Barnett raise their pigs. The humanity shows in their fresh organic pork, many that come in cuts that mirror the European, Japanese, and Chinese styles that are hard to find in the states. While their products are primarily found at several LA-area farmers’ markets and specialty foods shops, they do offer some local delivery. It’s worth sending them an email to inquire if they’ll ship to your area.

Seafood

Greensbury

Greensbury has been working with sustainable and organic farmers, fisheries, and ranches across the US since 2007. They corral products based on their strict vetting parameters, which include meats that are only grass-fed, and hormone- antibiotic, and steroid-free, and wild-caught, sustainable seafood. There’s also a section on the online market that offers bone broths and family bundle options.

Wild Alaskan

There are two huge reasons we love Wild Alaskan: Every piece of fish offered on the site is wild and sustainably caught. And two: The site makes shopping easy and transparent. You can choose from various boxes (some all salmon, some whitefish and salmon) according to price. It’s efficient and clear.

WildLocal

Seafood is Ben Hyman’s passion. After spending twenty years on commercial fishing boats and seeing a lack of respect, sustainability, and transparency in the industry, he launched WildLocal. As the name suggests, Hyman focuses on seafood line-caught in the Pacific waters outside his Ventura, California base. You can shop the weekly fisherman’s catch online and have it expressed delivered on ice. (But if you’re in Southern California, it’s worth catching Ben and his team at one of the local farmers’ markets they attend in and around Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, and LA.)

Baked Goods, Chocolates, and Other Sweets

Sweet Laurel

It’s impossible not to fall for everything Sweet Laurel. Their whole-food baked goods have the ability to render the biggest sugar lover speechless with one bite of their organic, grain- dairy- refined sugar-free treats. Co-founder Laurel Gallucci has a talent for whipping together minimal whole food ingredients to make spongy cakes, gooey cookies, crumbly shortbreads, and decadent pies that rival any conventional confections. She and co-founder, Clair Thomas, have brought these recipes to the mainstream with their Pacific Palisades bakery. But if you’re not in Southern California, they divulge their secrets in their cookbook, and offer an assortment of baking mixes, ingredients, teas, and coffees online.

Hopf Chocolate

Founder Andrea Hopf does everything with intention and meticulous care. Her love for pure, raw, organic foods stems from her upbringing in Germany and fuels her line of high quality, vegan chocolates. Each treat contains the purest raw and organic ingredients—creamy cacao butter, plant nectars, quality spices—that makes for treats that are rich and indulgent. (The recipes are also high in natural minerals and contain no refined sugar.) Andrea has extended her line to now include nut butters, vegan cookie dough (a glorified nut butter treat meant to eat straight out of the jar), hot cocoa, and nut milks.

Grains, Nuts, Seeds, Spices, Beans, and Breads

Vision Sprouts

This husband and wife team produces the creamiest organic nut butters we’ve had. The secret is in how they stone grind the sprouted nuts, using no heat to retain the maximum amount of nutrients. (We love their Sprouted Almond Butter over fresh strawberries for dessert.) They also specialize in organic sprouted beans, seeds, and nuts (all of which they ship nationally), as well as organic microgreens that are available for customers in their Southern California region.

One Degree Organic Foods

One Degree is taking transparency to the next level. On every package there is a scannable QR code that links to literature and videos about the ingredients, farmers, and practices that went into making that specific product. All of their cereals, breads, granola, flours, and seeds are non-GMO and organic, as well as free from glyphosate, colorings, and other additives. You can’t shop their goods directly from their site, but Thrive Market and a handful of other online purveyors offer their goods.

Diaspora Co.

Diaspora founder Sana Javeri Kadri sources spices that “are an expression of the land they’re grown on, and the heirloom seed that they’re grown from,” she says. Kadri works directly with single organic farms that deliver the brightest, most potent spices and pay their workers a fair wage. The result is a product that you can feel good about—and one that is unparalleled. Diaspora’s turmeric is bright and zesty, its chilies are complex and deep, and its peppercorns are fruity and layered.

The Philosopher’s Stone Ground

Another maker of incredible small-batch, stone ground nut butters. Full of enzymes, nutrients, and flavor, these butters are creamy and smooth—and they only contain sprouted organic nuts and a handful of other organic, fair-trade ingredients.

Katinka’s Nourishing Kitchen

Katinka is a nutrition expert and yogi who makes nutritionally dense, grain-free clean baked goods. She uses only vegan, low glycemic, gluten-free, non-GMO whole ingredients in her mixes, which she handcrafts in small batches. Her breads are some of the rare gluten-free options that aren’t laden with vapid starches.

Boundbrook Farm

Located in Vergennes, Vermont, Broundbrook Farm specializes in small-batch ecological organic rice farming. They are one of the few farms in the US that mirrors practices borrowed from Japan, in which they use their beloved ducks to help tend to the rice fields to control the pests and weeds. You can order their white and brown rice to be shipped.  

Kandarian Organic Farms

Larry Kandarian is a true steward of soil. A farmer with nearly three decades’ experience, he follows sustainable, organic practices and puts integrity first. This shows in the variety of beans he cultivates on his farm, which we think are the best around. He also produces ancient grains, lentils, seeds, and organic herbs and spices, all of which are available for order online. 

Online Grocers

Imperfect Foods

Imperfect Foods brilliantly offers a solution to major roadblocks in our food system: copious waste and unaffordability. The online marketplace offers a large array of organic fruit, vegetables, meats, poultry, dairy, nuts, and more at about 30 percent below the average grocery story price. The cost savings comes from Imperfect’s model, which sources produce and other foods that are deemed ugly (fruits and vegetables that have been tossed aside because of their dents or imperfections), undervalued, excess inventory, or lacking in demand. You need to still be diligent when shopping here, as not all items are organic and the brands can vary. Imperfect also provides grants to nonprofits that are working to make our food system more inclusive, transparent, and healthy.

Thrive Market

Thrive Market is the result of four founders who were steadfast on offering nutritious, small brand natural products at affordable prices. In 2014, the team launched an e-commerce grocery store that does its due diligence in sourcing products that are organic, non-GMO, and sustainably made. What we love is how easily navigable it is: Items are divided into obvious market sections—food, meat & seafood, apothecary, home, pets, etc.—and also according to dietary and lifestyle needs. The company creates its own line of products, and more recently started offering wine that is free of added sugars, pesticides, GMO yeasts.