This past weekend The Girl and I decided to take a quick road trip to Portland, Oregon. One of the places we decided stop in and check out along the way was Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store. The store features pretty much EVERY Bob’s Red Mill product–even the hard to find ones. It doesn’t hurt that you can smell freshly baked goodness throughout the entire store either. 😉
You can also take a tour of the manufacturing facility and check out the whole stone grinding process.
Their claim to fame is that they still use traditional quartz millstones to grind their grains at cooler temperatures. It is supposed to protect the nutritional value of the grains. They are also leaders in the gluten free game. They dedicate separate packaging and equipment just to ensure that their products are safe.
Bob’s Red Mill got its start in the mid 60’s when Bob Moore, the founder, read a book about stone-grinding techniques. He originally started out in California, but when he and his wife decided to retire to Oregon and he stumbled upon a mill for sale and Bob’s Red Mill as we know it was born. He’s been totally committed to preserving that idea of providing healthy trust-worthy products and doing the right thing by people.
In fact, on his 81st birthday, instead of retiring and selling the company, he announced that he was leaving the company to his employees. He split the shares and now they all have an invested interest in the company. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
We stopped off at the cafe {because let’s face it, it’s the right thing to do} and the food was great. So if you are ever in the area {it’s only about 10 minutes from Portland}, you should totally stop in.
~Mavis
Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store
5000 SE International Way
Milwaukie, OR 97222
{503} 607-6455
Mindy says
Ooo I want to visit here! I love their products.
Mavis Butterfield says
You should go, we thought it was pretty cool. 🙂
Faith says
I was there this past Saturday around lunch time. We made the stop on the way back from a Spring break trip. My husband and son are gluten intolerant, so I loaded up with a 25 lb bag of gluten free oats and tons of stuff from their bulk section! They have a great special for the month of April on blanched almond flour, $4.51/lb. Costco sells it for $6/lb. I wish I had more time to shop, but I had three little children with me 🙂
Sarah Smith says
Oh my! You were not much more than a MILE from my community garden! I would have loved to have given you a tour.
We love Bob’s Red Mill. It is a treasure to have it so close to home. I buy all of my grains and beans in bulk now and cook big batches to freeze. I also love Bob’s bulk spices, very fresh.
Let me know if/when you come back to Milwaukie!
sarah says
Yay! We love “Bob’s house” (what my 4-year-old calls it) and we enjoy walking there for Saturday morning breakfast. It’s only about five minutes off Oregon’s I-205 for anyone traveling through/around the Portland metro area. We used to see Bob and his wife in the store and having brunch at their table by the doors quite often. I think my daughter considered him her first celebrity sighting 🙂
Carla says
Yet another reason I want to visit Portland.
Ellen in Clackamas says
ackkkkk, you were so close to my house! I know you probably get inundated with visit requests but seriously I would have dropped everything to come have lunch!! And from the replies above it looks like we could have made a party of it!!! So glad you enjoyed Bob’s. It is such a great place
Katie Schneider says
You didn’t mention the awesome BRM bulk section in there! Or that the Dave’s Killer Bread Outlet is across the street! Your money-saving senses should have been sent a-jangling!
Sarah says
You need to come back to Milwaukie Mavis. You also missed Concentrates (www.concentratesnw.com) just up the street. They have an awesome selection of giant bags of organic fertilizers, very budget friendly.
Carlie says
We go there almost every week for their dried cranberries… yummm… their Saturday morning breakfast casserole is totally worth the trip. Did you get to meet Bob and his wife? I cannot think of a Saturday morning that I haven’t seen them enjoying breakfast there. The herb and spice selection is very fresh.
And across the street… Dave’s Killer Bread! And endless samples…
Diana says
LOVE Bob’s Red Mill products. I get them locally (in Kansas) at a bakery outlet just down the street. A little of his Wheat Bran, Oat Bran and Flax Seed make my morning oatmeal extra awesome.
Karen says
That looks awesome! I love Bob’s products. Whenever I need some obscure grain or flour, I know exactly where to look. And his quick cooking steel cut oats are the BEST.