https://hummingbirdwholesale.com/
More to come
Hummingbird Wholesale
Hummingbird Wholesale is known in Eugene as a distributor of natural foods, and thats good! But a closer look shows Hummingbird is much more than delivering food to natural food stores and restaurants.
From their website “We are instrumental in transforming the world toward a sustainable food production system which supports the health of the people who depend on it, as well as the earth’s precious ecosystems.”
Hummingbird deservedly can boast, 92% of its products are organic. Seventy nine percent come from the US and 64% is from the Pacific Northwest.
Not only does H' Bird deliver to restaurants and natural food stores, it also serves buying clubs. A buying club is a group of people who purchase in bulk together. Participants make an order, pass that on to the organizer who makes a group order, sends the order to H' Bird, picks up the order and then divides the order according to each individual order. Participants pick up the order. This is a great way to buy quality product in bulk, save money and create working relations with other in the buying club. Participants can also buy for friends and can share larger orders with others. People can also order as individuals and pick up in person. There is a minimum purchase. There is no retail store.
Hummingbird also partners with farmers with an approach they call the Farm Connections Program. Many food enthusiasts know what community supported agriculture is about. Patrons of a farm commit to buying a box of product from the farmer before the season starts. Each week, that patron picks up a box of produce, that conforms to what the farmer offers and harvests, depending on the time of the season. The patron shares the risk of food production with the farmer.
Hummingbird duplicates this arrangement with farmers by making contracts with the farmer upfront, before the season starts to buy a set amount of crop at a set price. The idea is to encourage regional farmers to transition from non food crops to food crops. H' Bird also helps farmer find the appropriate seeds and sometimes fronts the cost of seed that the farmer pays back only if the crop is successful.
H' Bird encourages farmers to go organic by offering to pay more for crops that are transitioning to organic than crops that are totally conventional. H' Bird helps cover upfront costs for trying experimental crops H' Bird in interested in. H' Bird helps farmers make a start understanding the complex task of transitioning to organic. H' Bird experts also helps farmers with their marketing.
Hummingbird helped establish a local flour mill, the first operating flour mill in the Willamette Valley in about 80 years where Oregon grown grains are milled. H' Bird also has an impressive commercial incubator kitchen where start ups can avoid large up front costs to produce in bulk using the H' Bird kitchen until they can afford their own kitchen. One recent visit to Hummingbird showed nearly 40 five gallon glass containers of kambucha aging in the start up kitchen.
Hummingbird also works to reduce its own eco footprint. From their web page. • We try to ensure there’s nothing harmful to people, flora, or fauna in the production of any products we distribute.
• We reinvest into more fuel-efficient, low-emissions delivery vehicles.
• We give a portion of profits to organizations that share in our mission.
• We continually work to improve the reuse-ability, recyclability, and compostability of our packaging.
• We practice a zero-waste policy.
• We meet 100% of our electrical needs with EWEB Green Power, with 20% coming from our rooftop solar panels.
• We created “The Barrow,” which includes the greater location in which Hummingbird Wholesale is nested. We lease space in the Barrow to like-minded professionals, businesses and organizations working in food, health, wellness and environmental fields.
Charlie and Julie Tilt have stepped away from the day to day management of Hummingbird and have transformed the business into a Employee Owned Purpose Trust. The intention is to secure the ideals and values that guide the function of Hummingbird into the future. Co workers elect the Trust Committee which appoints a Board. The Board oversees the CEO who works in partnership with the Leadership Team and coworkers to carry out the business of serving customers, building relationships with vendors, and supporting healthy farming outcomes. The company will never be sold, and all profit will be invested in coworker compensation and in the company's future.
A visit to Hummingbird shows a well organized and maintained business – the area where orders are filled, the ware house, the natural cooling system, business offices, commercial kitchen, solar electricity facility, rentals to like minded groups. Many building materials are eco friendly. Decor is warm and inviting.
Hummingbird Wholesale is a business that fits well the ideals of paradigm shift, to reduce eco footprints, serve the community and honor those who work there.
Hummingbird - Impressive Stories
What is the Farm Connections program?
We contract with farmers upfront, before the planting season, to buy a set amount of a crop at a set price. This gives farmers some assurance against risks, and helps encourage farmers who are thinking of switching from growing something like grass seed to growing food. • We help farmers find seed for crops we are interested in and sometimes we front the cost of the seed. The farmer pays the seed cost back only if the crop is successful. • We encourage farmers who are transitioning to organic practices — but who are not yet certified — by paying higher prices for their transitional crops.
There is more to the Farm Connections Program, check H’bird’s website hummingbird wholesale.come
Employee Owned for the Future
In January 2023, Hummingbird owners Charlie and Julie Tilt made a bold move by transitioning their ownership of the company to an Employee Owned Purpose Trust, securing and guiding the mission and values of the business into perpetuity. The Purpose Trust was established to serve as a co-creator of life-enhancing, inclusive, and healthy food systems for our regional and global community. The coworkers, affectionately “the birds”, elect the Trust Committee which appoints the Board. The Board oversees the CEO, who works in partnership with the Leadership Team and coworkers to carry out the business of serving our customers, building relationships with vendors, and supporting healthy farming outcomes.
Here is the e mail for learning more about the Trust [email protected]
Contact me Donate to the Primer
Hummingbird Wholesale
Hummingbird Wholesale is known in Eugene as a distributor of natural foods, and thats good! But a closer look shows Hummingbird is much more than delivering food to natural food stores and restaurants.
From their website “We are instrumental in transforming the world toward a sustainable food production system which supports the health of the people who depend on it, as well as the earth’s precious ecosystems.”
Hummingbird deservedly can boast, 92% of its products are organic. Seventy nine percent come from the US and 64% is from the Pacific Northwest.
Not only does H' Bird deliver to restaurants and natural food stores, it also serves buying clubs. A buying club is a group of people who purchase in bulk together. Participants make an order, pass that on to the organizer who makes a group order, sends the order to H' Bird, picks up the order and then divides the order according to each individual order. Participants pick up the order. This is a great way to buy quality product in bulk, save money and create working relations with other in the buying club. Participants can also buy for friends and can share larger orders with others. People can also order as individuals and pick up in person. There is a minimum purchase. There is no retail store.
Hummingbird also partners with farmers with an approach they call the Farm Connections Program. Many food enthusiasts know what community supported agriculture is about. Patrons of a farm commit to buying a box of product from the farmer before the season starts. Each week, that patron picks up a box of produce, that conforms to what the farmer offers and harvests, depending on the time of the season. The patron shares the risk of food production with the farmer.
Hummingbird duplicates this arrangement with farmers by making contracts with the farmer upfront, before the season starts to buy a set amount of crop at a set price. The idea is to encourage regional farmers to transition from non food crops to food crops. H' Bird also helps farmer find the appropriate seeds and sometimes fronts the cost of seed that the farmer pays back only if the crop is successful.
H' Bird encourages farmers to go organic by offering to pay more for crops that are transitioning to organic than crops that are totally conventional. H' Bird helps cover upfront costs for trying experimental crops H' Bird in interested in. H' Bird helps farmers make a start understanding the complex task of transitioning to organic. H' Bird experts also helps farmers with their marketing.
Hummingbird helped establish a local flour mill, the first operating flour mill in the Willamette Valley in about 80 years where Oregon grown grains are milled. H' Bird also has an impressive commercial incubator kitchen where start ups can avoid large up front costs to produce in bulk using the H' Bird kitchen until they can afford their own kitchen. One recent visit to Hummingbird showed nearly 40 five gallon glass containers of kambucha aging in the start up kitchen.
Hummingbird also works to reduce its own eco footprint. From their web page. • We try to ensure there’s nothing harmful to people, flora, or fauna in the production of any products we distribute.
• We reinvest into more fuel-efficient, low-emissions delivery vehicles.
• We give a portion of profits to organizations that share in our mission.
• We continually work to improve the reuse-ability, recyclability, and compostability of our packaging.
• We practice a zero-waste policy.
• We meet 100% of our electrical needs with EWEB Green Power, with 20% coming from our rooftop solar panels.
• We created “The Barrow,” which includes the greater location in which Hummingbird Wholesale is nested. We lease space in the Barrow to like-minded professionals, businesses and organizations working in food, health, wellness and environmental fields.
Charlie and Julie Tilt have stepped away from the day to day management of Hummingbird and have transformed the business into a Employee Owned Purpose Trust. The intention is to secure the ideals and values that guide the function of Hummingbird into the future. Co workers elect the Trust Committee which appoints a Board. The Board oversees the CEO who works in partnership with the Leadership Team and coworkers to carry out the business of serving customers, building relationships with vendors, and supporting healthy farming outcomes. The company will never be sold, and all profit will be invested in coworker compensation and in the company's future.
A visit to Hummingbird shows a well organized and maintained business – the area where orders are filled, the ware house, the natural cooling system, business offices, commercial kitchen, solar electricity facility, rentals to like minded groups. Many building materials are eco friendly. Decor is warm and inviting.
Hummingbird Wholesale is a business that fits well the ideals of paradigm shift, to reduce eco footprints, serve the community and honor those who work there.
Hummingbird - Impressive Stories
What is the Farm Connections program?
We contract with farmers upfront, before the planting season, to buy a set amount of a crop at a set price. This gives farmers some assurance against risks, and helps encourage farmers who are thinking of switching from growing something like grass seed to growing food. • We help farmers find seed for crops we are interested in and sometimes we front the cost of the seed. The farmer pays the seed cost back only if the crop is successful. • We encourage farmers who are transitioning to organic practices — but who are not yet certified — by paying higher prices for their transitional crops.
There is more to the Farm Connections Program, check H’bird’s website hummingbird wholesale.come
Employee Owned for the Future
In January 2023, Hummingbird owners Charlie and Julie Tilt made a bold move by transitioning their ownership of the company to an Employee Owned Purpose Trust, securing and guiding the mission and values of the business into perpetuity. The Purpose Trust was established to serve as a co-creator of life-enhancing, inclusive, and healthy food systems for our regional and global community. The coworkers, affectionately “the birds”, elect the Trust Committee which appoints the Board. The Board oversees the CEO, who works in partnership with the Leadership Team and coworkers to carry out the business of serving our customers, building relationships with vendors, and supporting healthy farming outcomes.
Here is the e mail for learning more about the Trust [email protected]
Contact me Donate to the Primer