Posts Tagged ‘small business’

Urban Farming Gains Ground

March 15, 2011 As people flock to their local farmers market and discover the taste and freshness of locally grown fresh food, many decide that they want to grow some of that goodness too. Vanessa Barrington, of EcoSalon, wonders if urban farming is the next big ‘thing’ – not to just grow food for yourself, [...]

A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 3

Part 3: Operating an ethical, caring, much less sustainable, small business is a risky and difficult endeavor. Artisan production is by definition not a huge volume business. Small food business margins are very low. Providing employee insurance is a huge strain. Overhead is high. Quality ingredients cost more. That high price tag on an artisan [...]

A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 2

Part 2: Despite the disparity between available funds and the cost of organic, sustainable food, a large proportion of the community of chefs and bakers here in Portland spend a huge portion of their not so huge income for quality food. They put their dollars where their hearts and stomachs lead them, and tend to [...]

A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches

Part 1: Portland, Oregon, is a city on the cutting edge of food. We’ve got great restaurants and talented chefs, wine and beer to die for, excellent bakeries, chocolatiers and coffee roasters, and a wealth of natural riches provided by sustainable small farms, year-round farmer’s markets, and locally-owned sustainable grocers. We field an excellent and [...]