Despite the housing market crash, government bailout frenzy, stock market gyrations and an uncertain political climate the organic food industry is showing strength, according to the October, 2008 State of the Industry report prepared by the Sosland Publishing Company (www.sosland.com).

The report had the international research company Nielsen (www.nielsen.com) showing total sales of U.P.C. – coded organic foods and non-alcoholic beverages rising 25% over the same time last year to $4.38 billion in U.S. food, drug and mass merchandiser stores (excluding Wal-Mart) in the 52 weeks ended April 19, 2008. Non-organic sales were up only 4.4%.

The report listed impressive growth for the following categories:

Total U.S. – Supermarkets,  Drugstores and Mass Merchandisers excluding Wal-Mart
Source:  Nielsen

Friday, October 24, 2008 was not only a beautiful autumn day in Columbia County, but also the inaugural meeting of the Blue Mountain Station Advisory Team. Advisory Team members from Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Clackamas, Spokane, Walla Walla, Olympia and Kennewick convened in Dayton for a half day of meeting, greeting and learning more about Blue Mountain Station and Columbia County. The Advisory Team is comprised of professionals in the natural and organic food industry from growing to processing to wholesaling to retailing. Their role is, as the name implies, to advise the Blue Mountain Station Executive Committee on the various aspects of developing the world’s first eco-food park focused on artisan natural and organic processed foods. Local dignitaries involved in economic development also participated.

For many of the Advisory Team members, this was their first visit to Columbia County. The meeting began at the Skye Book & Brew with the Networking Reception followed by the Blue Mountain Station Presentation and Luncheon. Following the Luncheon, the Team was taken on a tour of Dayton including Monteillet Fromagerie, potential Blue Mountain Station property sites and the Seneca plant. The tour ended at the Dayton Train Depot for additional networking and relationship building. Comments such as, “Blue Mountain Station is a great project. I’m proud to be a part of it” and “this is my first time in Dayton. It’s a wonderful community. I’ll be back”, punctuated the Advisory Team’s comments.

When the marketing plan for the Port of Columbia was completed and the recommended direction revealed, I have to admit to having conflicting feelings about the project. The dominating feeling was excitement: the project seemed such a perfect fit for our community by weaving the needs of the modern marketplace with our treasured traditions of agriculture and food processing. But underneath that excitement was another feeling: fear. The Port of Columbia would be considering development and spending at a level never before seen at our little Port.

But the more our project progresses, as we are dividing up the development ideas into compartments and phases and making each seem more realistic, I feel some progress of my own on a professional level. My perspective is broadening, my fear is easing, and my excitement growing. We can do this! We are a community with an amazing spirit. And Ports were made for this kind of development. We have financing options and a great support system. We just need time to put it all together and make it work.

We’ll never accomplish anything if we don’t try, and I’m willing to take a chance on this project. I believe the reward for our community will be worth it.

Here’s an update on our progress:

Financing: Many options are being considered: A proposal was made through the Washington Public Ports Association for consideration in the Governor’s economic stimulus package; state funding sources are being pursued, such as CERB; USDA, EDA, and other federal funds are being considered; a list of private funding sources is being compiled; revenue bond and levy lid lift processes are being explored.

Marketing: Articles about the project have been published in over 20 regional and national newspapers, magazines, and internet sites, including Capital Press, Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, Washington CEO Magazine, and Puget Sound Business Journal. An interview on Northwest Public Radio aired in December, and the positive feedback from the story has been tremendous!”

Education: A “Blue Mountain Country Cookbook” idea is being pursued in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce, and a lecture series on organic and natural foods, fields, etc., is under consideration.

Recruitment: Plans are being made to attend two food processing trade shows in 2009, and a targeted recruitment effort is being put together.

Property and Infrastructure: Several properties are being evaluated for potential project siting, and water and wastewater treatment ideas are being investigated. A meeting was held with the City of Dayton to talk about current wastewater treatment status, and a meeting was held with WSU to discuss the idea of using an anaerobic digester to process waste, which also creates energy that can be used for heat.

Community: Discussions continue to be held on pulling in more community members as the project progresses, especially potential growers.

To find more information on the Port of Columbia, please visit www.portofcolumbia.org.

Larry Barcot, President
With 25 years of software industry experience, Larry has developed cross platform software solutions for companies around the world. Prior to starting TheDataManager, Inc., for 2 1/2 years Larry held the position of VP Worldwide Sales for a Danish database corporation, and was VP North American sales for a UK based database company for 2 1/2 years prior to that. Throughout the time with the UK company, his responsibilities additionally included sales and distribution throughout the Pacific Rim. Previously he was an independent consultant and database developer for many of the Fortune 1000 customers worldwide and had spent nearly 15 years in the printed circuit board industry as a Sr VP Engineering prior to that.

TheDataManager, Inc., publishers of TheRecipeManager
TheDataManager, Inc. was formed in 2002 with the express goal of creating high quality, low cost consumer and small business applications. The aim was to take price off the table as an issue, then over-deliver from thereon. TheRecipeManager was created to enhance your experience in the kitchen and to assist in the enjoyment of great food. Now, with a lot of input from users all over the world, it is beginning to evolve into a lifestyle device – something that you will come to depend on to help you manage a healthy eating lifestyle. Being able to manage all your recipes is the first step.

Advisory Team member Larry Barcot plans to publish a Blue Mountain Country cookbook for use with his recipe database software, The Recipe Manager. Lisa Ronnberg, director of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, is gathering unique recipes from some of Dayton’s premier restaurants to feature in the cookbook, which will also include information about Dayton and Blue Mountain Station. The cookbook will be available for download from the Blue Mountain Station, Dayton Chamber and The Recipe Manager websites, and a printed version will also available at local businesses in Dayton. Barcot plans to include this cookbook in future editions of The Recipe Manager. The Recipe Manager software is sold at major retail stores worldwide.