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CapitalPress.com
Friday, July 29, 2022
People & Places
Reforming the food supply chain
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
EUGENE, Ore. — Todd
Edman has a vision for how
he hopes to reshape the
global food supply chain.
“All of the local products
that I love, I want to be able
to order from one place and
have them delivered to my
house,” said Edman, an Ore-
gon-based entrepreneur and
software developer. “We’re
not as far from that as you
might think.”
Four years ago, Edman
co-founded a business
named BitCork, distribut-
ing wine from small pro-
ducers to restaurants in
Portland and Eugene. It
quickly proved success-
ful, slashing delivery costs
by more than 90% from an
industry average of $125 to
$8.50.
The key, Edman said,
was a computer program
written to run BitCork’s
warehouses, which uses
algorithms to predict what
restaurants are likely to
buy and manage orders
from listed wineries, all in
one system.
That same program —
rechristened in 2020 as
Pollinate — is now being
deployed in small- and
medium-size food estab-
lishments, allowing them
to buy ingredients from
several farms and other
providers through the same
network.
“It’s a very precise
engine for allocating and
tracking inventory,” Edman
said. “We’ve put it into a
system they can actually
run on their phones.”
Targeting distribution
Before
coming
up
with the idea for Polli-
nate, Edman got his start
in software working for
Established 1928
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Entire contents copyright © 2022
TODD EDMAN
EO Media Group
Occupation: Co-founder
and CEO, Pollinate Food
dba Capital Press
Age: 47
Hometown: Eugene, Ore.
Facebook
Todd Edman
Chase Bank in New York
City during the late 1990s
and early 2000s dot-com
boom.
Feeling dissatisfied in
his job, Edman returned to
his hometown of Eugene,
wanting to apply his
skills to a business with
the potential to change the
world. There he met Jus-
tin Bloom, and the two
became founding mem-
bers of the Eugene chapter
of the Technology Associa-
tion of Oregon.
Through the association,
Edman and Bloom became
interested in addressing
problems in the food sup-
ply chain.
“There’s not many things
more fundamental to who
we are than food,” Edman
said. “Ultimately, the food
system that the world needs
is one that is synergistic and
sustainable.”
Citing a study by the
environmental
nonprofit
Ecotrust, Edman said the
No. 1 barrier to sustainabil-
ity in the food supply chain
is localized distribution.
While 84% of food sup-
plies come from firms doing
less than $100 million in
annual sales, the country
has invested trillions of dol-
lars in infrastructure geared
toward the largest produc-
ers and distributors.
For example, Edman
said 98% of all iceberg
lettuce grown in the U.S.
comes from a single water-
shed fed by Lake Mead in
California and Arizona.
The reason is that’s
where the processing and
distribution infrastructure is
to sell to major grocers such
as Wal-Mart and Kroger,
Edman said.
“Clearly, what consum-
ers are choosing is they
want better quality goods,”
he said. “It’s just not acces-
sible with the way this food
supply chain is built.”
Tilting the economics
Edman, Bloom and a
third partner, Jesse Ralston,
would go on to create Bit-
Cork, which they envi-
sioned as a sort of Redbox
movie rental system for
restaurants to buy small-
batch, boutique wines
that consumers otherwise
wouldn’t find in grocery
stores.
With the software plat-
form now known as Polli-
nate, Edman said they were
successful in creating an
efficient distribution net-
work that has since gone
on to sell products from 23
wineries to more than 250
restaurants licensed by the
Oregon Liquor and Canna-
bis Commission.
“Our goal is to tilt the
economics in favor of the
smaller food businesses,”
Edman said. “It’s those
companies that can give us
that future of food.”
By leveling the playing
field for smaller growers,
Edman said they can also
reduce how far food has to
travel to reach consumers,
thereby lowering the indus-
Education: Studied
engineering at University
of Portland, 1993-95;
studied economics at
University of Oregon,
2006-08
Family: Wife, Celeste,
and three children (ages
3, 7 and 10)
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245 Commercial St. SE, Suite 200
Salem OR 97301.
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try’s carbon footprint.
Pollinate is now being
rolled out in 10 food estab-
lishments in Los Angeles.
One of the first clients is a
small chain of coffee shops
called Go Get Em Tiger that
emphasizes selling food
made from local ingredients.
Edman said Pollinate will
be able to help Go Get Em
Tiger connect with farms
that grow the food they
need, and vice versa, provid-
ing another outlet for small
growers to sell their crops.
“Every single person can
log in and see how many of
what items are available for
them to order,” Edman said.
“That gives them the abil-
ity to know when it should
arrive in a store.
“It’s a really complex
business,” he added, “and
this allows it to operate in a
way that’s reliable and con-
sistent, so they can meet
their customers’ demands.”
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Couple recognized as county tree farmers of the year
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
ROSEBURG, Ore. — After 15
years of working to turn a fixer-up-
per property into a multi-use area,
Evan and Lorreen Barnes were
recently honored as the 2021 Doug-
las County Small Woodlands Tree
Farmers of the Year.
A tour of their property by Doug-
las County Small Woodlands Asso-
ciation members and a presentation
of the 2021 award was delayed from
a year ago until last month because
of COVID restrictions.
The Barneses purchased 65 acres
of timber and 15 acres of agricul-
tural ground in 2006. The property
included two mobile homes and 30
broken down vehicles.
Their forest management and
fire prevention efforts earned them
recognition.
“It’s nice to be acknowledged,”
said Lorreen Barnes. “It’s nice to
share what we know and what we’ve
learned over the years.”
“It’s an honor to be distinguished,
to be acknowledged for the work
we’ve done around here,” agreed
Evan Barnes.
The Barneses designed and
built a circular access road sys-
tem with landings for logging and
self-loading trucks but also for bet-
ter access in case of wildfire. Trees
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
Evan and Lorreen Barnes were re-
cently honored as the 2021 Doug-
las County, Ore., Small Wood-
lands Association’s Tree Farmers
of the Year. The couple have man-
aged 65 acres of timber since pur-
chasing the property in 2006.
were removed from close to where
the couple built their home and
outbuildings.
For additional fire protection,
sprinklers were installed on all
the buildings, there’s a 500-gallon
water tank on a mobile trailer and
there’s 10,000 gallons of water in
four holding tanks placed around
the property.
“Every year we try to clean up
the forest floor to reduce the haz-
ard,” Evan Barnes said of the sur-
rounding forest that includes Doug-
las fir, oak, madrone and pine trees.
In 2014, the Barneses helped start
the Upper San Souci Firewise Com-
munity. Evan Barnes is the commu-
nity’s coordinator for the program.
Through Firewise, workers from
Douglas Forest Protective Associ-
ation have visited the property and
helped clear 200 feet of “defensible
ground” around each structure.
The Barneses had no forest man-
agement experience early in their
lives. Evan was a construction con-
tractor and builder in Northern Cal-
ifornia. Lorreen was a high school
teacher and social worker. They read
books from the library, read news
publications, took extension classes
and consulted with foresters to learn
about forest management and fire
prevention.
A small woodlands association
panel visited the Barneses’ property
and selected the couple for the tree
farmer award. They were praised for
having a forest plan and for their man-
agement, protection and enhance-
ment of their small woodlands.
“From what they described that
it was like when they bought it to
now, they’ve made tremendous
progress,” said Richard Rawson,
president of the Douglas County
Small Woodlands Association.
“The property looks very nice. It’s
a well-earned honor for them.”
In addition to managing the tim-
ber, the Barneses have turned their
property into multiple use, adding
a large garden, fruit trees, chick-
ens and fenced pasture for a couple
steers and two horses.
Tami Jo Braz, the woodlands
association’s membership and
communications
coordinator,
described them as an “inspiring
example of forestry and woodland
management.”
“They exemplify the four core
tenets of stewardship, which are
wood production, water quality pro-
tection, wildlife habitat enhance-
ment and recreation opportunities,”
Braz said.
The small woodlands associa-
tion has a membership of 190 fam-
ilies. The objective of the associ-
ation is to study the problems of
managing, protecting and improv-
ing small tracts of forest, to dis-
tribute information on the estab-
lishment, growth, harvesting and
marketing of forest crops, to inform
and educate owners on problems
and solutions for forest manage-
ment, and to represent the owners
of small woodlands before legisla-
tive bodies and agencies.
More information on the Oregon
Small Woodlands Association can
be found online.
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Capital Press ag media
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com. All times reflect the local
time zone unless otherwise noted.
THROUGH JULY 31
California State Fair & Food
Festival: Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition
Blvd., Sacramento, Calif. The Cali-
fornia State Fair is dedicated as a
place to celebrate the best the state
has to offer in agriculture, technol-
ogy, and the diversity of its people,
traditions, and trends that shape
the Golden State’s future. Website:
https://calexpostatefair.com/
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
JULY 30-31
Great Oregon Steam-Up:
7 a.m.-6 p.m., Powerland Heritage
Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE,
Brooks, Ore. Enjoy a steam-pow-
ered day with train and trolley rides,
a parade, steam sawmilling, tra-
ditional tractor pulling, machin-
ery demos, threshing, flour mill-
ing, fire apparatus demos, museum
tours, kids pedal tractor pulling and
a youth passport program. Web-
site: www.antiquepowerland.com/
steam-up Phone: 503-393-2424
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
AUG. 6-7
Great Oregon Steam-Up:
7 a.m.-6 p.m., Powerland Heritage
Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE,
Brooks, Ore. Enjoy a steam-pow-
ered day with train and trolley rides,
a parade, steam sawmilling, tra-
ditional tractor pulling, machin-
ery demos, threshing, flour mill-
ing, fire apparatus demos, museum
tours, kids pedal tractor pulling and
a youth passport program. Web-
site: www.antiquepowerland.com/
steam-up Phone: 503-393-2424
MONDAY
AUG. 8
Transitioning Your Ag Busi-
ness to the Next Chapter:
12:30-4 p.m. Paisley Community
Center, 705 Chewaucan St., Pais-
ley, Ore. Farm and Ranch succes-
sion counselor and accountant
Diana Tourney will prepare you for
the human and financial elements
of succession planning. Easement
specialist Marc Hudson will answer
your questions about working lands
conservation easements — what
they are, what they aren’t, and how
they may be helpful in executing
your agricultural business plans.
These in-person events are part of a
free 6-workshop series in Lake, Har-
ney and Malheur counties. All are
welcome, and the events are free.
RSVP for these or any of OAT’s other
events and refer any questions
about the event to diane@orego-
nagtrust.org 503-858-2683
TUESDAY
AUG. 9
Transitioning Your Ag Busi-
ness to the Next Chapter:
12:30-4 p.m. Lake County Library,
26 South G St., Lakeview, Ore. Farm
and Ranch succession counselor
and accountant Diana Tourney will
prepare you for the human and
financial elements of succession
planning. Easement specialist Marc
Hudson will answer your questions
about working lands conservation
easements —what they are, what
CapitalPress.com
they aren’t, and how they may be
helpful in executing your agricul-
tural business plans. These in-per-
son events are part of a free 6-work-
shop series in Lake, Harney and
Malheur counties. All are welcome,
and the events are free. RSVP for
these or any of OAT’s other events
and refer any questions about the
event to diane@oregonagtrust.org
503-858-2683
MONDAY-TUESDAY
AUG. 8-9
American Lamb Summit:
Michigan State University and East
Lansing Marriott East Lansing, Mich.
The summit will focus on compet-
itiveness, production and quality
of American lamb. Website: https://
www.lambresourcecenter.com
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
AUG. 11-12
Idaho Milk Processors Asso-
ciation Annual Conference: Sun
Valley Resort, Sun Valley, Idaho.
The conference will focus on indus-
try issues. Website: https://www.
impa.us
SATURDAY
AUG. 13
Family Forest Field Day
— Southwest Washington:
9 a.m.-4 p.m. L & H Family Tree
Farm, 1309 King Road, Winlock,
Wash. Whether you own a “home
in the woods” or many acres of
land, this “out in the woods” edu-
cational event is packed with
practical “how-to” information
that you need to know. Learn
more at https://forestry.wsu.edu/
sw/fd2022/.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
AUG. 13-14
Dufur Threshing Bee 2022:
6 a.m.-3 p.m. Main Street, Dufur,
Ore. Relive the good old days at
the Dufur Threshing Bee. Included
will be blacksmiths, a one-room
school house, the Dufur Histor-
ical Society, petting zoo, food
booths and artists’ booths, trac-
tor pull, vintage car show, home-
town dinner and a steam engine
display. Contact: Nancy Gibson,
541-993-3429.
FarmSeller.com
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twitter.com/CapitalPress
youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo
Index
Markets .................................................10
Opinion ...................................................6
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital Press
staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement, omission or
factual error in a headline, story or photo
caption, please call the Capital Press news
department at 503-364-4431, or send
email to newsroom@capitalpress.com.
We want to publish corrections
to set the record straight.