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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2016)
4A ● APPEAL TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016 Life in the Valley y sanews@salem.gannett.com A berry fun celebration PHOTOS BY DANIELLE PETERSON / STATESMAN JOURNAL Festivalgoers enjoy free strawberry shortcake during the 65th annual Strawberry Festival Sunday at Coolidge-McClaine Park in Silverton. A slice of the strawberry shortcake served during the 65th annual festival. Pies Continued from Page 1A tained ownership of its farms and the pastry- making business it had purchased from LaSuisse Specialty Foods in 1999. For three years, the two businesses shared the same campus, but space was tight. Willamette Valley Fruit processes an aver- age of 20 million pounds of fruit per summer, ac- cording to its website, and the pie company was making 1,800 to 2,000 pies per shift, Gunderson said. Leading up to Thanksgiving last fall, employees made 2,200 pies in one eight-hour pe- riod, she added. “The fruit company needed more space, and we needed more space,” Roth said. At first, Roth consid- ered building at the 82 nd Avenue campus, but get- ting more electricity out there was cost-prohib- itive. Portland General Electric could have add- ed infrastructure to serve the stoves, freezers and other machines, but for a hefty price. Silverton Industrial Park, designed with busi- nesses in mind, offered the infrastructure the company needed. So, in January, it purchased the current 6.5-acre parcel for $1.5 million. “Coming here – it upped our risk – but we feel it’s worth it, for us and for the community,” Roth said. Already, the Silverton facility has allowed Wil- lamette Valley Pie to think bigger. Its produc- tion workforce has grown by eight since the move, said Chief Financial Offi- cer Mike Schelske. That’s not counting employees at its main re- tail store and its location at the Woodburn Outlet Mall. Now running two shifts per day, the compa- ny is hiring to fill a third shift, he said. Driven mostly by word of mouth, the com- pany’s sales are occur- ring in Oregon, Washing- ton and northern Califor- nia, said CEO Jeff Dunn. There’s a strong demand in Los Angeles, and the future looks bright for expansion into the Mid- west. Goodies baked with sustainably farmed flour and filled with whole fruit or fillings that use tapioca instead of corn- starch are increasingly popular. “People like the arti- san, natural pies,” Dunn said. “They’re spending a little more to get some- thing that’s really high quality.” The company preach- es a commitment to sus- tainably farmed flour, natural ingredients, orga- nic and sustainably farmed shortening, local- ly grown berries, and handmade quality. “People don’t want trans fats or lard, corn starch or GMOs. They want healthy, premium products that support our local and domestic econo- my, and that’s what we’ll always produce,” Dunn said. “Our goal has al- ways been to support our local farm families, and that’s really where this all begins.” Mandi Hauptmann of Salem gives Ozzie, a 3-year-old St. Bernard, a treat during the event. FRIENDS OF SILVER FALLS STATE PARK Covered wagon rides were popular attractions at previous Historic Silver Falls Day events. History Continued from Page 1A list of thousands of names of the 80,000 men who served in the CCC in Ore- gon. A miniature canoe race each day will cele- brate Al Faussett’s 1928 canoe trip over the South Falls. First, second and third place finishes will re- ceive prizes. A detailed schedule is available online by navi- gating to the “Events” tab at www.SilverFallsState- Park.wordpress.com. Silver Falls State Park is on Highway 214 S about 16 miles southeast of Sil- verton or roughly 12.5 miles from Sublimity. Admission to event ac- tivities is free. A $5 day-use parking permit is required to park at Silver Falls; visitors can purchase a one-day permit or an annual per- mit for $30.
