Bend biz roundup


Trader Joe’s to carry Picky Bars; Warm Springs Forest Products Industries to close; and Kale chips from Pacific Superfood Snacks goes national.

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Picky Bars hit Trader Joe’s shelves this month.

Jesse Thomas, co-founder of Picky Bars, said Trader Joe’s will carry Picky Bars’ three most popular flavors: Ah, Fudge Nuts!, Cookie Doughpness, and Smooth Caffeinator, in all of the California-based grocer’s stores. As of 2015, Trader Joe’s operated 457 stores.

“It’s definitely the biggest step in company history,” Thomas said.

(READ MORE: Bend Bulletin)

Warm Springs Forest Products Industries has begun the process of shutting down its mill.

According to a news release from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the tribal council on April 5 unanimously moved to appoint a third-party receiver to take control of the assets of the mill in order to “wind up its operations.”

The mill was started by the tribal council in April 1967. According to the Spilyay Tymoo, the tribes’ newspaper, as of January the mill employed about 60 tribal members. In the same article the newspaper reported the mill was expected to lose more than $10 million in 2016.

(READ MORE: Bend Bulletin)

Kale chips form Pacific Superfood Snacks are now available nationwide.

During her time at the University of California-Berkeley, Sarah Pool prepared for marathons and triathlons by eating a plant-based diet that relied heavily on kale chips, a snack made by baking or drying pieces of kale.

…In 2012, Pool started making kale chips herself through her company, now known as Pacific Superfood Snacks. Four years after launching in nine farmers markets in Portland, Pool’s kale chips can be found in approximately 7,000 stores, including every Walmart in the country.

(READ MORE: Bend Bulletin)


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