Eugene's Table Launches

What started as a public economic development project has expanded to become an industry funded regional activation program called Eugene’s Table.

Eugene’s Table solidifies the Greater Eugene’s area place as a food and beverage manufacturing hub by providing leadership for collaborative development projects, creating opportunities for greater connectivity, and promoting the region’s products, people, and priorities.

This program got its start two years ago when the The Lane Sector Strategies Team, a partnership between regional economic development organizations, chose to focus efforts on the food and beverage manufacturing industry. An RFP was released in search of a 3rd party to manage the program. Season to Taste, Inc. responded and was selected by The Lane Sector Strategies Team to lead Food and Beverage work for two years. The firm quickly recruited an advisory board of 26 industry members who guided it’s work supporting the food and beverage sector.

As the publicly funded project sunsets, local industry has stepped up by funding a new expanded body of work culminating in the launch of Eugene’s Table in 2019. Founding members include SnoTemp, a cold storage facility based in Eugene. Jason Lafferty, CEO at SnoTemp understands the real potential for the program to elevate our food community on the national stage. “We are excited to support the launch of Eugene’s Table. This initiative brings together some of North America’s leading brands… right here in Eugene.”

Lafferty’s vision is very much 20/20. As a distribution hub for many national brands, Snotemp is at the center of a long established and continually growing network of diverse world class manufacturers. Initial membership includes legacy brands like Yogi Tea, So Delicious Dairy Free, Ninkasi Brewing, and emerging startups like Elegant Elephant Baking Co, Queen’s Bounty Honey, and Red Ape Cinnamon. Others are joining the effort as this story circulates, and we expect the numbers to grow quickly as the word gets out. As of 2018, the Greater Eugene area is home to 172 food and beverage manufacturing companies, which employ 4078 people, bringing over $185 million dollars in wages to the region. Any reasonable estimate values the Greater Eugene area’s food and beverage manufacturing sector at over a billion dollars.

Recognizing the opportunity to help our emerging brands grow faster and more sustainably, the City of Eugene and Lane County are sponsoring 80% of Eugene’s Table memberships for food and beverage manufacturers with less than 10 employees. Anne Fifield, Economic Strategies Manger at the City of Eugene has been a key contributor since the project’s inception. “These companies have put the area on the epicurean map. This collaboration is key as food and beverage firms are expected to provide the majority of new manufacturing jobs in Lane County during the next eight years.”

While the program leverages the brand power of Eugene in its name, the work touches businesses across Lane County and Austin Rameriz, Interim Community and Economic Development Manager see’s big potential. “The Food and Beverage sector is critical to the region’s success and we are excited to support the next generation of food companies throughout the county”

Of course, many other businesses support our local food and beverage industry including Revolution Design Group, a creative agency based in Downtown Eugene’s Miner Building. The firm sponsored the launch of Eugene’s Table by designing brand assets including www.eugenestable.org, which contains a growing body of information including regional resources, job postings, and industry news. Nick Yarger, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Revolution Design Group contributed substantial time to the project. “It was an honor to work with Eugene’s Table on their new brand identity and website. At Revolution Design Group we have the pleasure of working with several of the food and beverage members of the organization using our unique skill-set to meet the needs of Consumer Packaged Goods clients. With such a large overlap in the communities we serve, the partnership with Eugene’s Table was a natural one.”

Eugene’s Table is rolling out a number of events in the coming months. The successful Food Business Unpacked series continues to attract over 100 professionals for an industry focused happy hour each quarter. Expanding on the success of the FSMA Round Table Group produced in collaboration with Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Eugene’s Table is launching additional round table discussion groups including Sales, Marketing, and Finance for its members. Eugene’s Table is also partnering with FOOD for Lane County to host an F&B Workforce Development Luncheon in October. The event highlights the many programs available to local employers that can help support on-the-job training programs and new employee on-boarding. On September 17th, Eugene’s Table celebrates Organically Grown in Oregon Week by offering a 100% Oregon Organic dinner served at Party Downtown on Tuesday 9/17. Tickets are available to the public.