New ‘Oregon Taste’ directory links consumers to locally grown fresh food

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon Taste, a public service project of James Beard Public Market, is launching OregonTaste.com Tuesday in the Pacific Northwest -- a searchable online directory of the state’s locally grown fresh food.

This new statewide service promotes Oregon’s local fresh foods and food businesses by connecting them directly to area consumers. It is designed to serve as a reliable source for information on Oregon food, food products, food systems programs and food events.

The Oregon Taste directory is initially focusing on Oregon’s local producers who sell fresh foods directly to consumers. Listings include sellers of fresh, local, direct-to-consumer, as well as information for farmers, fishers, ranchers, roadside stands, u-pick fields, farmers markets and orchards. Consumers can search the directory for fresh food producers across the state, find specific food products, link to a producer’s website and learn how to connect with producers and their products. In collaboration with Oregon Farmers Markets Association, consumers may also link to the websites of farmers markets across Oregon.

“One of the many things the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare is that local food systems matter now more than ever,” said Lori Warner, Development Director for Oregon Taste. “The idea for Oregon Taste was born out of this increased need to connect Oregonians to more local farms and the foods they create.”

The directory will soon be expanded to include links to food products manufactured or processed in Oregon; wine, beer, spirits and other beverages created in the state; and listings of local food events. Future plans also include listings of the state’s food-related non-profits, agencies, and food organizations. This will highlight those non-profit organizations with links to their websites and offer additional resources for food access guidance.

As a public service project, the directory is free to consumers as well as local farmers and sellers who wish to appear in the directory. Organizations across the state are collaborating with James Beard Public Market to help connect consumers to Oregon grown foods. Some of these include: Oregon Farmers Markets Association, Travel Oregon Food Trail Program, Gorge Grown Food Network, Food Roots, High Desert Food and Farm Alliance, Oregon Pasture Network and Travel Portland.

"We are committed to cultivating a community of interests, with partners across Oregon who share the commitment to bolstering Oregon's local and regional food systems," says John Warner, Oregon Taste’s Community Initiatives Director.

About James Beard Public Market

James Beard Public Market is a project of The Historic Portland Public Market Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its goal is to establish a year-round marketplace showcasing Oregon’s bounty of food and food products while promoting community health, rural and urban economic development, neighborhood revitalization, and tourism. With the development of the physical marketplace paused by the pandemic, James Beard Public Market hosts OregonTaste.com as a permanent public service project. To learn more visit www.jamesbeardmarket.com.