Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current, June 22, 2016, Page 4A, Image 4

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    4A
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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.