Partners
Our partners include local businesses throughout the region as well as companies that share our values: fresh, local, sustainable.
In Season in August and September: Poblano Peppers!
September is the heart of our harvest season in the Pacific Northwest, so we had lots to choose from in selecting this month’s seasonal focus. Poblano Peppers stood out because of the way their flavor captures the essence of the late summer sun and heat, and our local pepper crop is at its peak in September.
Our Poblano peppers are grown by Inaba Produce Farms, a third-generation, family-run farm and produce company in the Yakima Valley. Lon Inaba, the current owner, learned many of the sustainable agricultural techniques he practices today from his father and grandfather. Lon’s grandfather came to the Yakima Valley from Japan in 1907 when the US government was incentivizing farmers to move west and help convert sagebrush country into productive land.
Inaba Produce Farms practices natural forms of pest management, such as growing a broad range of crops to attract a balanced insect population, reducing the use of pesticides and chemicals, and planting more organic acres each year. Many of their crops, including our Poblanos, are certified sustainable by the Food Alliance.
In addition to fresh, local Poblanos, there are lots of other great, local ingredients on the menu this month. Our Green Chile and Cheddar Egg Biscuit features cage-free eggs from Stiebrs Farms in Yelm, Washington, and Extra-Sharp White Cheddar from our friends at Tillamook, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year! Our Poblano Chicken Wrap is topped with cilantro crema made with fresh, Food Alliance certified cilantro from Howard Calcagno Farms, in Aurora, Oregon.
There’s no taste like home!
Alison Dennis
Director of Supply Chain
Burgerville
In Season in August and September: Fresh, Oregon Blackberries!
There’s a snapshot held up by magnets on my refrigerator at home of my husband, grinning to the camera, and holding up what’s left of a home-baked blackberry pie his mother made in celebration of a recent visit home to the eastern Oregon ranch where he was raised. It’s his special blackberry smile. It’s the same smile I see on the faces of Burgerville guests each summer when fresh, local blackberries are in season.
Our local berry growers produce the best berries in the world; deep purple and bursting with juice that just gets sweeter with each week of the season. This year I’m especially excited because we’ve partnered with our long-time berry growers at Liepold Farms to source 100% fresh, local Marionberries this season! Marionberries are the most flavorful variety in the blackberry family, so our real ice cream milkshakes, frozen yogurt smoothies, and blackberry lemonade are packed with more pure, sun-ripened blackberry flavor than ever this summer!
Liepold Farms was founded in 1948 in Boring, Oregon, when John Liepold followed a dream and purchased 50 acres with his wife Elsa and their three children. Today, Liepold Farms is still a family affair. John’s eldest son, Rod Liepold and his wife, Marcia, run the farm now with help from their children, spouses, grandchildren, friends and seasonal workers who return each year for the harvest. They currently farm 365 acres.
Liepold Farms has earned a reputation for sustainable agriculture and business practices, including soil conservation, water conservation with drip lines, pest management that only treats an effected area, and fueling their farm equipment with biodiesel. They’re also vocal champions of the joys and benefits of buying, eating and savoring fresh, local berries and other produce in season. Be sure to say hello when you see Liepold Farms representatives at local farmers markets throughout the season!
In a time when many farms are decreasing the number of acres devoted to berries, Liepold has increased its acreage, in part to keep up with Burgerville guests’ demand for fresh seasonal berries. Thanks to you, our guests, and to the Liepold family for making fresh, Oregon Blackberry Season a growing annual tradition!
There’s no taste like home!
Alison Dennis
Director of Supply Chain
Burgerville
Wind Power Partners
- Canby Utility Board
- City of Centralia
- City of Monmouth
- Columbia Rivers Public Utility District
- Cowlitz Public Utility District
- Northern Wasco County Public Utility District
- Pacific Power www.pacificpower.net/supportbluesky
- Portland General Electric
- Public Utility District of Clark County
Sustainability Partners
Cedar Grove Composting — Commercial composting
Maple Valley, WA; www.cedar-grove.com
City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development — Composting and recycling program support
Portland, OR; www.portlandonline.com/osd
EcoTrust Food and Farms — Local food systems innovation
Portland, OR; www.ecotrust.org/foodfarms
Food Alliance — Third party sustainable agriculture and food processing certification
Portland, OR; www.foodalliance.org
SeQuential Biofuels — Cooking oil recycling into biofuel
Portland, Oregon; www.sqbiofuels.com
Partners for Seasonal Items
Harry’s — fresh fruit processing
Portland, OR; www.harrysfresh.com
Hazelnut Growers of OR — hazelnut meal
Cornelius, OR; www.oregonhazelnuts.org
Keystone — Walla Walla Sweet Onions
Walla Walla, WA; www.keystonefruit.com
Liepold Farms — fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Boring, OR; www.liepoldfarms.com
Stahlbush Island Farms — fresh pumpkin
Corvallis, OR; www.stahlbush.com
Partners for year round items
Bornstein Seafood — smoked salmon
Astoria, OR; www.bornstein.com
Chez Gourmet — vegetarian burgers
Lake Oswego, OR; www.chezgourmet.biz
Country Natural Beef — natural hamburger beef, natural hot dogs
Oregon; www.oregoncountrybeef.com
Franz, — rolls
Portland, OR; www.usbakery.com
Fulton Provisions Co. — beef processing
Portland, OR
Kobos Coffee — fair trade coffee
Portland, OR; www.kobos.com
Lamb Weston — french fries and other potato products
Pasco, WA; www.lambweston.com
Oregon Rain — water
Newberg, OR; www.oregon-rain.com
Pleasant Valley Farms — pickles
Mt Vernon, WA
Rogue Creamery — artisan cheese
Central Point, OR; www.roguecreamery.com
Stiebrs Farms — cage-free eggs
Yelm, WA; www.stiebrsfarms.com
Sunshine Dairy Foods — ice cream, milk, eggnog and other dairy
Portland, OR; www.sunshinedairyfoods.com
Tillamook Creamery — artisan cheese
Tillamook, OR; www.tillamookcheese.com
Yo-Cream International — frozen yogurt
Portland, OR; www.yocream.com
