Astoria, Oregon, December 2021: Astoria Food Hub is nearing completion of its first phase of construction in downtown Astoria’s historic Mason, Ehrman & Co. building.
On December 11, the Food Hub hosted their first event: Winter Market. Set up as a public event promoting sales for regional producers as they enter their slowest time of the year, while also showing off the new space.
It was an incredible turnout. The space was full of attendees stocking up on incredible regional food: meat, seafood, pasta, sauces, baked goods, granola, honey, pickles, tea and beautiful collections of dried florals and wreaths. All locally grown with sustainable and regenerative practices.
Astoria Food Hub intentionally prioritizes farmers, ranchers, fishers and producers in Clatsop, Tillamook and Pacific Counties and extend to the broader Cascadia region for high quality items like salmon from sustainable fisheries, all based on relationship with producers maintaining the highest standards.
For the Winter Market, AFH activated their delivery system, offering orders over $100 home delivery on the coast between Pacific City and Long Beach Peninsula and into Portland.
Originally built in 1935, the Astoria waterfront warehouse served as the coastal arm of Mason, Ehrman & Co. – a wholesale grocery distribution company. The company was founded in 1896 in Portland, Oregon and grew to cover a territory that included Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
The North Coast’s regional foodshed is uncommonly rich with a diverse range of agriculture, fisheries, and wild-harvested products. Demand across the Pacific Northwest is increasing for this region’s place-based brands and high-quality food products, from end consumers and institutional buyers alike. The COVID pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the highly consolidated, global food system creating a pressing need to bolster local food economies. As neighbors, farmers, fishers, producers, and allies, Astoria Food Hub is seizing this unique opportunity to create a more resilient and sustainable regional food system.
