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CapitalPress.com
May 6, 2016
People & Places
Business is slow at snail farm
Charity Anais West
brings heliculture to
California with her
EscarGrow Farms
Western
Innovator
For the Capital Press
Charity Anais
West
AP Food Industry Writer
NEW YORK — Whole
Foods is prepping for the
launch of its hipster new
grocery chain. But shoppers
won’t be able to get a tattoo
with their cheese just yet.
The company says its
“365” chain will have a min-
imalist layout, affordable
prices and third-party ven-
dors who set up shop inside
the stores. That generated
fanfare earlier this year when
Bloomberg noted the chain’s
website said the vendors
might include sellers of body
care products, record shops
and even tattoo parlors.
Calendar
Occupation: Owner and
CEO of EscarGrow Farms
Quote: “I want to make
people excited, bring them
the prospect of a new experi-
ence, excite them by the
possibility of falling in love
with a new flavor.”
Courtesy of EscarGrow Farms
Charity Anais West, owner of EscarGrow Farms in Eureka, Calif., raises snails and their caviar.
After several trips to Bur-
gundy, and eating escargot
for practically every meal,
she said she would always
return to the U.S. to anoth-
er “chewy, muddy-flavored”
dish of snails drowned in
butter, garlic and parsley.
She did a little research,
read a book by Frenchman
Francois Picart titled “Es-
cargots from Your Garden
to Your Table” and learned
there was no sizable snail in-
dustry in the U.S.
She decided to start a
snail farm.
Anais West works exclu-
sively with the Petit Gris,
or “little gray” snails. They
are often referred to as the
“common brown garden
snail.”
“My first snails came
from my mom’s garden,”
she said. “But now I forage
for them because they are a
local pest, and I raise them
in a low hoop house.”
It takes about a year for
them to reach market size.
Saturday, May 7
Reducing Fire Risk in the Wild-
land-Urban Interface, 8 a.m.-1:30
p.m., University of Idaho Extension
office, Orofino, Idaho
Thursday, May 12
Washington FFA Convention,
Washington State University, Pull-
man
Friday, May 13
Washington FFA Convention,
Washington State University, Pull-
man
Saturday, May 14
Reducing Fire Risk in the Wild-
land-Urban Interface, 8 a.m.-1:30
p.m., Kamiah Volunteer Fire De-
partment, Kamiah, Idaho
Washington FFA Convention,
Washington State University, Pull-
man Washington FFA Convention
Saturday, May 21
But Jeff Turnas, president
of 365 at Whole Foods, said
in an interview this week
that there are no plans for
tattoo parlors to date, and
that he doubts that there
will be. He said the exam-
ple was given to illustrate
that 365’s partners could
include any number of
possibilities.
“I think the point of it is
that it’s going to be diverse
— it’s not going to be just
food,” he said.
For instance, Turnas not-
ed a pet grooming service
that uses organic shampoos
has expressed interest in be-
ing a partner.
Still, Turnas said the
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mit an Event.” Calendar items can
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2016 Goat Academy, 8 a.m.-5
p.m. A full day of classes followed
by an auction on May 22. Camping
available. Half Creek Farm, Gold-
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
Hometown: Eureka, Calif.
Courtesy of EscarGrow Farms
Charity Anais West is owner
and CEO of EscarGrow Farms
in Eureka, Calif. It is one of the
few escargot operations in the
nation.
She raises several thousand
at a time.
“I’m trying to speed up
the process based on what I
feed them. I feed them fresh,
organic greens and fruit,”
she said. “They love cucum-
ber.”
They also get non-GMO
organic cornmeal, wheat
bran and crushed oyster
shells that build strong snail
shells, she said.
She sells snails by the
pound, but only in Califor-
nia. The company is limited
by its invasive species per-
mit and does not ship outside
the state.
Anais West said the oper-
ation is small now because,
luckily, snails don’t take up
a lot of room. She utilizes a
curtain method to maximize
space.
“Caviar” — snail eggs
— have long been a popu-
lar item at European bistros.
Now they are becoming a
hot item at many high-end
San Francisco restaurants.
Snails lay the eggs in the
soil, and they have an earthy
flavor, like fresh green on-
ions.
Matthew Dolan, chef
at San Francisco’s 25
Lusk, said his customers
are discovering the exotic
delicacy.
“Even those put off by the
notion at first glance have
enjoyed the subtle, mush-
room and pine flavors of her
(EscarGrow Farms) fresh
eggs — unpasteurized so the
flavor is pure and amazing,”
he said. “I was surprised and
impressed by such an un-
dertaking, and as escargots
themselves are lovely, I’m
much more enamored with
their caviar.”
He said the quality of
her escargot caviar is “bet-
ter than any other that I’ve
tried, so I wish her well and
selfishly hope that her pro-
duction flourishes so I will
have regular access.”
Anais West said her fam-
ily and friends were not sur-
prised when she announced
she was going to start a snail
farm.
“I don’t think much I do
anymore can surprise them,”
she said. “From acquaintanc-
es and others in the industry,
it’s all been quite positive.
Everyone seems to think I’m
onto something.
“I sure hope I am.”
Whole Foods executive: No tattoo shops planned for new chain yet
By CANDICE CHOI
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
By JULIA HOLLISTER
EUREKA, Calif. — Busi-
ness is slow for entrepreneur
Charity Anais West, but she
isn’t surprised.
She owns and operates
EscarGrow Farms, one of
the only snail farms in the
nation.
“I grew up in Atascadero
(San Luis Obispo County),
smack in the middle of three
girls.” she said. “I went to
Cal Poly and received a
bachelor’s degree in journal-
ism.”
She worked as a televi-
sion news producer in San-
ta Maria for three years and
returned to Cal Poly to get
a certificate in teaching En-
glish as a second language.
Her plan was to travel the
world.
She worked at a restau-
rant in Paso Robles known
for its wine program and fell
in love with wine, moved
to New Zealand for four
months to work at a winery
and then relocated to San
Francisco.
“I was naive enough
about what it meant to be a
tiny fish in a very big ocean
and decided to become a
sommelier,” she said. “I
studied for a passed my intro
and certified ‘somm’ exams,
through the Court of Mas-
ter Sommeliers and the ad-
vanced certificate.”
Her love for travel re-
mained, and over the next
few years she kept going
back to France — Burgundy
in particular — because of
the incredible vineyards.
“This is where the snail
idea came,” she said.
(Jeopardy question: He-
liculture. Answer: What are
snail farm operations?)
Capital Press
endale, Wash. www.columbiabasin-
goatguild.org
Sunday, May 22
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion’s Midyear 2016, 1-9 p.m., Sun-
river Resort, 17600 Center Drive,
Sunriver, Ore. The event will host
Ethan Lane, executive director of
the Public Lands Council. www.or-
cattle.com
Monday, May 23
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion’s Midyear 2016, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.,
Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center
Drive, Sunriver, Ore. The event will
host Ethan Lane, executive director
of the Public Lands Council. www.
orcattle.com
Tuesday, May 24
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion’s Midyear 2016, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.,
Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center
Drive, Sunriver, Ore. The event will
also host Ethan Lane, executive di-
rector of the Public Lands Council.
www.orcattle.com
Wednesday, May 25
Noxious Weed Control Work-
shop, 6-8 p.m., OSU Extension Au-
ditorium, 569 Hanley Road, Central
Point, Ore. (541) 776-7371, Rachel.
werling@oregonstate.edu
Saturday, May 28
Alpaca Shearing Day & Sale,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alpacas of Oregon,
press coverage about the po-
tential tattoo parlors sparked
genuine excitement among
his employees, who start-
ed asking if they would be
able to use their employee
discounts for tattoos. Even
if a tattoo parlor isn’t likely,
Turnas said the idea reflects
the culture of Whole Foods
employees.
“I would say 75 percent
of our team members have
tattoos,” he said of the team
working on the 365 chain.
That includes Turnas, 44,
who has a tattoo on his leg is
of a Grateful Dead bear with
a lacrosse stick, a memory of
his time as a lacrosse player
at Michigan State University.
The offshoot chain by
Whole Foods comes as sales
growth has slowed at the
company’s flagship stores,
which are being pressured
by traditional supermarkets
with expanded organic se-
lections.
Whole Foods Market
Inc., which has more than
430 locations, says it still
sees potential to expand
to 1,200 locations in the
U.S.
Some analysts question
whether the offshoot chain
will cannibalize sales from
Whole Foods stores. But
the Austin, Texas, company
says 365 will help it reach
new customers, particularly
those who want more af-
fordable prices or are look-
ing for a quicker shopping
experience.
Turnas noted that 365
stores won’t have meat or
seafood counters, and de-
scribed it as Whole Foods’
“younger sister, a little
scrappy.”
The first 365 store is
slated to open in Los Ange-
les on May 25; its third-par-
ty vendor will be an out-
post of a New York vegan
eatery. Two more locations
are slated for Lake Oswe-
go, Oregon, and Bellevue,
Washington this year, and
10 additional stores are slat-
ed for 2017.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
20 Northwest Locations
21345 SW Aebischer Road, Sher-
wood, Ore. Visitors can chat with
four long-time livestock breeders
who’ve raised llamas, horses,
sheep, and goats. 503-348-6954
Western States Dorper Associ-
ation Show and Sale, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Chico State University Farm, 311
Nicholas C. Schoute Lane, Chico,
Calif. Cost: Free http://wsdorpers.
com/2016_wsda_show_and_sale_
info
Sunday, May 29
Alpaca Shearing Day & Sale,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alpacas of Oregon,
21345 SW Aebischer Road, Sher-
wood, Ore. Visitors can chat with
four long-time livestock breeders
who’ve raised llamas, horses,
sheep, and goats. 503-348-6954
Western States Dorper Associ-
ation Show and Sale, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Chico State University Farm, 311
Nicholas C. Schoute Lane, Chico,
Calif. Cost: Free http://wsdorpers.
com/2016_wsda_show_and_sale_
info
Friday, June 3
Citizen Fire Academy Meet and
Greet, 5-8 p.m., OSU Extension Au-
ditorium, 569 Hanley Road, Central
Point, Ore. The Citizen Fire Acade-
my statewide program is for pro-ac-
tive forest landowners, concerned
residents in fire-prone communities
and the public. Learn how to cre-
ate safe, more fire-resilient homes
through online sessions, field trips
and by working on a personalized
wildfire preparedness plan. Regis-
tration is due May 20. http://exten-
sion.oregonstate.edu/sorec/cfa
Saturday, June 4
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
Sunday, June 5
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
Monday, June 6
California Poultry Federation
Summer Meeting, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cliffs Resort, 2757 Shell Beach
Road, Pismo Beach, Calif., http://
cpif.org/2016-summer-meeting
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
Tuesday, June 7
California Poultry Federation
Summer Meeting, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cliffs Resort, 2757 Shell Beach
Road, Pismo Beach, Calif. http://
cpif.org/2016-summer-meeting
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
Wednesday, June 15
Jump on the Biocontrol Bus: In-
troductory Biological Pest Manage-
ment for Nurseries & Greenhouses,
8 a.m.-5 p.m. This workshop and
educational tour/demonstration will
show new approaches to managing
common pests on nursery plants.
Field and greenhouse growers will
learn beginning methods of biolog-
ical control, and will be offered in
English and Spanish. Featuring Su-
zanne Wainwright-Evans, Buglady
Consulting, and Robin Rosetta,
Oregon State University Extension
horticulturalist. Pre-registration re-
quired. OSU North Willamette Re-
search & Extension Center, 15210
NE Miley Road, Aurora. Cost $20
morning workshop, $35 morning
workshop plus educational tour and
demonstration. Lunch provided.
Website: http://bit.ly/26BIy76
Saturday, June 18
Ketchum Kalf Rodeo, 1 p.m.,
Glenwood Rodeo Grounds, 63
Trout Lake Highway, Glenwood,
Wash. http://Business.gorge.net/
glenwoodrodeo
Sunday, June 19
Ketchum Kalf Rodeo, 1 p.m.,
Glenwood Rodeo Grounds, 63
Trout Lake Highway, Glenwood,
Wash. http://Business.gorge.net/
glenwoodrodeo
Entire contents copyright © 2016
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