Rooted in Eugene | Part 3: On The Cusp of Something
Eugene, Oregon may not immediately land on your radar, but for those in food manufacturing, the region is known as a nearly perfect place for producing products and distributing across the west coast. Saddled on the southern edge of the fertile Willamette Valley, the metro area’s modest size, lack of traffic congestion, and inexpensive highly renewable hydropower supply pair wonderfully with its location less than 500 miles from both Seattle and The Bay area.
The region’s food and beverage manufacturers represent some of the most authentic values-based brands in the country, and it’s no coincidence that these world class companies have chosen to locate here. Eugene, Oregon offers a rare combination of progressive culture, landscape, and business opportunity that attracts passionate, driven, yet humble professionals seeking out and finding fulfilling lives growing food and beverage brands.
Darcey Howard knew she wanted to land in Eugene when she started a job search in 2016. With over a decade of marketing experience under her belt in New York City, she could have easily found another prominent position in another major market, but she had other plans in mind. “I didn’t want to move to another busy, expensive city.” In Eugene, she saw a vibrant community filled with really authentic natural food brands that had huge potential. “What I really wanted was to apply myself to a place that was on the cusp of something - where I could really contribute.”
Howard’s passion caught the ear of leadership at Coconut Bliss. The company hired her as it’s first ever Director of Global Marketing in 2017. She dug in quickly leading the homegrown vegan frozen dessert brand through its first rebranding in over a decade that included a first of its kind pint packaging made from recycled sugar cane husks. The project was so successful that she effectively worked herself out of a job.
Coconut Bliss caught the eye of HumanCo, a mission driven holding company focused on sustainable brands. The company bought a majority share of Coconut Bliss in 2020 and rolled marketing up to their corporate headquarters, thus Howard began seeking out her next professional adventure. Again, she was offered prominent positions at brands in major markets all over the country. Howard seriously considered a few offers, given that virtual offices and remote work were quickly becoming the norm, but in the end chose to stay local. In 2020 she became the Chief Marketing Office at Thinking Tree Spirits, a farm to flask distillery in Eugene, Oregon.
Stories like Howard’s are fairly commonplace in the region. Brittany England walked away from her role as Advocacy Marketing Manager at White Wave Foods in Denver/Boulder to put down roots in Eugene and launch her own marketing firm with her husband, Mackenzie. “Eugene has the heart to do it all. We’ve always felt like we could grow something here that would be meaningful. It felt like there were endless opportunities.” Kinship Creative is now headquartered in Eugene with a growing list of natural foods brands on its client list.
Kinship takes a truly human centered approach to brand building. In the company’s own words, “Our dedication to transparency, honesty & heart-forward strategy connects brands to their most valuable asset - their people.” England can’t think of a better place to ground this work. “Consumers are expecting food brands to represent them, and Eugene knows how to think about people first. It's at the heart of who we are as a community.” And as you might already expect, England doesn’t have any trouble finding talent to fuel Kinship’s growth. “Hundreds of people from all over the country applied for our recent director level position despite the fact that moving to Eugene was a requirement.”
Over the past decade local industry has created more than a thousand new jobs. Professionals continue to discover the area and relocate in search of growing professional opportunities and a community that supports their search for a balanced high quality of life.
Want to learn more about career opportunities at Eugene, Oregon food and beverage companies?
Rooted in Eugene highlights stories of people who chose to live, work, and play in the greater Eugene area’s dynamic food and beverage manufacturing industry
Check out the rest of the series!
Part 1: Love and Natural Foods
Part 2: High Quality Ingredients