COLUMBIA EMPIRE FARMS

Columbia Empire Farms began in 1976 with 300 acres of hazelnuts and the dream of one man - Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. This entrepreneur's goal was to vertically integrate Columbia Empire Farms. Vertical Integration is the concept of growing, harvesting, processing and packaging the farms yield to assure quality, and take it to market... With the combined efforts of many on the farm, Columbia Empire Farms grew into Oregon's only fully vertically integrated Berry and Hazelnut farm. To complete the circle of vertical integration, in 1997 Linda Strand and Janet Pendergrass joined the farm and the first Your Northwest store was launched to create direct consumer access to Columbia Empire Farms products... At Columbia Empire Farms every spring our marionberries flower across our fields, every summer, they grow fragrant and heavy with fruit and our bees make golden honey, every fall, our orchards are bursting with Hazelnuts.