Earlier this month, Governor Kate Brown toured two small, women-owned businesses in Bend, Oregon.
Red Plate Foods
On March 14, the Governor toured Red Plate Foods, a company focused on creating allergy-free foods.
Red Plate Foods’ mission is to connect people over delicious foods that are safe for everyone, including people with food allergies and celiac disease. As many as 15 million people in the United States suffer from food allergies, and nearly 1/3 of U.S. adults follow a restricted diet because of food intolerances.
Red Plate makes baked goods that are vegan and free of the top 8 food allergens (gluten/wheat, dairy, peanut, tree nut, soy, egg, fish, and shellfish) in a dedicated facility located in Bend, Oregon. Their products can be found in the fresh bakery departments of retail grocers in the Western United States and are also available through Sysco to food service operators.
While on the tour of Red Plate’s recently opened new bakery, Governor Brown was shown the factory and was even able to frost a few cupcakes. She spoke with company founders, Becca and Chell Williams, on what inspired them to create Red Plates.
Becca told the Governor how she has to deal with severe food allergies on a daily basis. Chell had to administer epinephrine shots multiple times when Becca was going into anaphylactic shock due to her dairy allergy and others in their family have severe allergies. They wanted to create foods that are inclusive of people with food allergies and taste good.
The Governor was able to sample some of their cupcakes and granola.
Metolius Tea
On March 15, Governor Brown toured Metolius Tea with owner Amy Stahl.
Metolius Tea designs, blends and brews beautiful teas in small batches. The Governor was able to see how a batch of their chai tea concentrate gets produced from raw tea leaves to being labeled bottled in a concentrate form.
While on the tour, Amy, Metolius Tea’s founder, explained how she began her tea journey in the forests, rivers, and deserts of Oregon’s rich and diverse landscapes. Amy used to drive to Sisters once a week to bring tea to local cafes.
Amy explained how they work with farmers who further their vision for economic, environmental, and social justice. From their workshop in Bend, they aim to be the most respected wholesale tea supplier and online retailer of organic teas.
After viewing the production process, Governor Brown was able to sample Metolius’s Matcha and Earl Gray teas.
