January 26, 2005
By JAN JACKSON Freelance Writer
Fresh fruit inspired sweet specialties
HOOD RIVER, Ore. – David Gee,
co-founder of Oregon Growers & Shippers, is a
biology and anthropology major from New Haven, Conn.,
who, after spending several summers wind-surfing in
Hood River, couldn't get the Northwest out of
his mind.
He first visited in 1991 as a college
student on summer break. He came to stay in 1999.
In 2003 he founded Oregon Growers
& Shippers and started making, marketing and distributing
high-end preserves and fruit spreads. Helping to connect
the urban marketplace to agriculture, Gee capitalizes
on the fact that he buys fresh fruit directly from
local growers.
"It's all about quality,
and I need the best possible fruit to start with,"
Gee said of his Oregon Growers & Shippers venture. "I worked my way
through college cooking in restaurants that believed
that the best food is found growing fresh in our own
back yards, and that's my philosophy for Oregon Growers & Shippers."
When Gee moved to Hood River permanently,
he had to look to Portland for work because, at the
time, jobs in Hood River were scarce.
"I was employed with Provvista
Specialty Foods selling and marketing specialty foods
to area restaurants and retailers," Gee said.
"My love for quality food and my background
as a restaurant chef helped me sell the products that
Provvista carried.
"I developed my recipes in
the 6th Street Bistro's kitchen in Hood River
in the morning hours before the restaurant opened
for the day. I started with apples, pears and cranberries
because it was the season to get them fresh, and by
spring and summer I added cherries and berries."
Looking ahead to national distribution,
Gee started right off using a co-packer to process
his jams.
"Because my ambition is to
take these products nationwide, I knew there was no
need to try to start cooking it in any back room,"
Gee said. "Aside from actually making the products,
I do as much of the work myself as I can to keep production
costs low.
"I give many tastings at farmers'
markets and specialty stores in the Portland and Seattle
areas because if I can get people to taste it, they
tend to buy."
Craig McCurdy, one of the major
Hood River orchardists from whom Gee buys fruit, thinks
that though Gee is starting small, he likes the job
he is doing in promoting Hood River specifically and
agriculture in general.
"Dave has the ability, the
backing and the cumulative experience to make it work,"
McCurdy said. "My wife and I took over our family's
orchards 11 years ago, and we've seen others
think about doing what Oregon Growers & Shippers is doing, but Dave is actually
doing it. If I didn't think supporting him had
a future, I wouldn't be working with him."
Choosing to work with growers who
practice sustainable agriculture, Gee has a clear
plan of action for his company.
"I am satisfied with six of
my jam recipes, but I'm still fine-tuning the
other three," Gee said. "We are also working
on adding a line of dried fruit, mushrooms and savory
products, but I will probably cap the preserve line
at 12 varieties.
"I can't make the fruit
taste better, but I can arrive at the perfect balance
of ingredients to keep the subtle flavors alive. I
just use the best ingredients available and try not
to screw them up."
For more information about Oregon
Growers and Shippers, contact David Gee at P.O. Box
207, Hood River, OR 97031, phone at (541) 386-5600,
or visit www.growersandshippers.com.
