PORTLAND, Ore. – Jan. 16, 2019 – The wait is over for local food buyers, Portland party planners, food system futurists, and curious commuters of Southeast Portland — the Redd on Salmon Street (the Redd) is now complete. The Redd is the newest big project of Ecotrust, the Portland-based nonprofit that for nearly 30 years has worked with rural and urban communities across the Northwest for equity, the economy, and the environment. Now, less than four years after founder Spencer Beebe led the organization in making a big bet on a century-old former ironworks, the Redd is poised to advance local food and ignite new opportunities from two blocks between SE 7th and SE 9th on SE Salmon Street in Portland’s Central Eastside.
A first-of-its-kind campus, the Redd goes beyond farm-to-table and food hub concepts by pairing an incubator and last-mile distribution warehouse spurred by research (Redd West), with a world-class center for public engagement (Redd East). With the campus today serving more than 170 food businesses and five core tenants, Ecotrust estimates it will welcome 70,000 visitors in 2019 to engage, learn and celebrate.
“The Redd is strengthening connections — between urban and rural, eaters and food producers — in ways that that people can see, hear, touch and taste right here in the heart of the city,” said Jeremy Barnicle, Ecotrust executive director. “These connections lead to healthier people, tighter communities, critical natural climate solutions, and more equitable economic development.”
Inspiring Spaces
Wrapped in FSC-certified Pacific Northwest wood, filled with natural light and powered by a solar array, the 76,000-square-foot Redd campus is a sustainably repurposed campus that delivers in-demand food system functions, spaces for elevated experiences, and inspired design.
Redd East, the engagement hub of the campus between SE 8th and SE 9th, is a soaring renovation of a 1918 former ironworks. Developed and designed by Urban Patterns in conjunction with Ecotrust, and built by long-time Ecotrust partner Walsh Construction Co., the 16,000-square-foot building includes a main hall with capacity for up to 670, complemented by a fully equipped community demonstration kitchen, board room meeting space and outdoor plaza for a combined capacity of 2,000 people. The light-filled interior is paneled with FSC-certified wood, including hemlock paneling sourced locally from our affiliate EFM and western red and Port Orford cedar gifted by the Coquille Indian Tribe. One third of the building’s energy needs are supplied by a state-of-the art rooftop solar array, funded by Portland General Electric’s Green Future℠ customers through the Renewable Development Fund.
Redd West sits between SE 7th and SE 8th on SE Salmon. With partner B-Line Sustainable Urban Delivery (B-Line), Redd West features office, commercial kitchen, warehousing, logistics, and distribution services critical to supporting growing food businesses. Ecotrust teamed with Walsh Construction Co. and Urban Patterns to retrofit the space, which has been fully operational since 2016. Significant updates included an office now occupied by healthy school food and environment leader FoodCorps, co-working space, and a warehouse managed by B-Line with approximately 2,000 square feet of cold storage, a missing piece of central city infrastructure for producers like Cattail Creek Lamb and Iliamna Fish Co.
New Model Takes Hold
The Redd exemplifies Ecotrust’s approach to economic growth that is literally rooted in the soil, waters, and forests of the region. Agriculture, ranching, fishing, food production, forestry, engaging events, and green building are converging at the campus, resulting in programming such as:
- Use of Redd West services by nine of Ecotrust’s Ag of the Middle Accelerator participants — regional farmers, ranchers and fishers who are leveraging warehousing, networking and business support services at the Redd to expand their Portland-area sales.
- Events including the 2019 Northwest B Corp Leadership Development Conference, locating Redd East in the epicenter of triple-bottom-line innovation.
- Alignment with key partner New Seasons Market, which is using the full array of B-Line services to efficiently expand its local food offerings and support emerging local producers. In one project, GreenWheels, 80+ entrepreneurs are channeling their products to the regional grocer via B-Line’s warehousing, aggregation and delivery services, avoiding 15,000 vendor delivery trips over the life of the program, freeing up time for the busy products, while cutting carbon emissions and traffic congestion.
- Reopening of Portland Pupusas & Taqueria in the Redd’s Powerhouse Cafe, a 150-square-foot restaurant incubator for a woman or minority-owned food business in the Plaza of Redd East.
The Redd is now renting event space and welcoming the public to join campus tours the campus and visit its businesses, including Portland Pupusas & Taqueria. On March 2, the public is invited to the Redd Reveal! Grand Opening Celebration to tour the beautiful renovated, historic space; savor delicious regional bites and beverages; and enjoy top-notch, family-friendly entertainment. More information: https://ecotrust.org/event/redd-reveal-a-grand-opening-celebration-at-the-redd-on-salmon-street/
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About Ecotrust
Ecotrust is powered by the vision of a world where people and nature thrive together. Since 1991, we have partnered with local communities from California to Alaska to build new ways of living and doing business. From forestry to finance, food access to green building, we work to advance social equity, economic opportunity, and environmental well-being. Together, we are making this place we live a home that we love. Follow us @ecotrust and learn more at ecotrust.org
About the Redd on Salmon Street
The Redd on Salmon Street is a new Ecotrust development located in the heart of Portland’s historic industrial Central Eastside district, designed to support the growth of a more equitable, restorative, and delicious food system through a working hub and world-class events center. Learn more at www.reddonsalmon.com.