OEN Member NewsEcotrust opens the Redd on Salmon (Portland Business Journal)

A little less than four years after embarking on the ambitious creation of a two-block, food-centered campus in Portland’s Central Eastside, Ecotrust has opened the Redd on Salmon Street.

Located in two buildings along Southeast Salmon Street and Southeast Seventh and Ninth avenues, the Redd brings a food business incubator and a last-mile distribution warehouse to close-in Portland. Already serving more than 170 food businesses and five core tenants, the Redd is also home to an event space that can accommodate up to 670 people and a 22,000-square-foot outdoor space.

“The Redd is strengthening connections — between urban and rural, eaters and food producers — in ways that that people can see, hear, touch and taste right here in the heart of the city,” said Jeremy Barnicle, Ecotrust’s executive director, in a release. “These connections lead to healthier people, tighter communities, critical natural climate solutions, and more equitable economic development.”

Redd East, considered the “engagement hub” of the project, is a 16,000-square-foot former ironworks that’s been converted into the event space. It’s also home to a demonstration kitchen and the outdoor area, which has a maximum capacity of up to 2,000 people.

Redd West is a 15,000-square-foot warehouse that includes three production kitchens, offices for food-related businesses and a co-working space.

The core tenants at the Redd include: B-Line Sustainable Urban Delivery; FoodCorps, which connects kids to healthy foods; New Foods Kitchen, a plant-based kitchen that supports entrepreneurs; SoupCycle, the popular bike-powered lunch delivery service; and Wilder Land & Sea, a meat and seafood distributor.

Ecotrust is planning a grand opening celebration at the Redd on March 2. In the meantime, click through the gallery above for a look at Portland’s newest foodie landmark.

Source: www.bizjournals.com