Our Story

Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr.

Columbia Empire Farms began in 1976 with 300 acres of hazelnuts and the dream of one man – Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. This entrepreneur’s goal was to vertically integrate Columbia Empire Farms. Vertical Integration is the concept of growing, harvesting, processing and packaging the farms yield to assure quality, and take it to market.

With the combined efforts of many on the farm, Columbia Empire Farms grew into Oregon’s only fully vertically integrated Berry and Hazelnut farm. To complete the circle of vertical integration, in 1997 Linda Strand and Janet Pendergrass joined the farm and the first Your Northwest store was launched to create direct consumer access to Columbia Empire Farms products.

Today, Your Northwest customers enjoy shopping online at yournw.com and during the summer months at our Columbia Empire Farms Farm Stand in Dundee.

Since the year 2000 Your Northwest joined with the Paradies Shops to bring the Portland International Airport 5 Your Northwest Travel Mart locations offering the full line of Columbia Empire Farms products along with “food to go” for the traveling public.

Since, it all takes place on our own farms in our own processing plants, at Your Northwest, we can truly say that Columbia Empire Farms grows and produces the finest quality products the northwest has to offer.

Berries – We call Oregon rain, “sugar rain” because it makes our berries so sweet. Our berries are grown on our Dundee and Hillsboro farms. We grow many varieties of berries, however, the most famous is the Oregon Marionberry. The Marionberry is a cross between a cheahlem and the ollalie blackberry developed in 1956 in Marion county Oregon. We make our Preserves and Syrups everyday on our farm in Sherwood, Oregon. One of our favorites, Black Raspberry, is also known as “Black Gold” and has a very rich flavor. Oregon Strawberries are grown for flavor.

Honey - Our busy bees produce the purest golden Berry Honey from hundreds of hives that pollinate our crops.

Hazelnuts – Our Hazelnuts are grown on our Sherwood farm and are used in many different ways. After being sorted, cleaned and dried; we roast and package or roast and make them into lovely confections. In our confection room, the smell of chocolate and hazelnuts fills the air and lets you know that the confections we make are simply delicious.

 “When people ask me if we grow filberts, we say ‘Yeah, they grow on hazelnut trees.”

At Columbia Empire Farms every spring our marionberries flower across our fields, every summer, they grow fragrant and heavy with fruit and our bees make golden honey, every fall, our orchards are bursting with Hazelnuts.

Working hard to nurture our land and crops, and we care about the people who work for us. Farming is the root of our business.

We harvest these rich crops, carefully select the best, and cook our Preserves and Syrups, and roast our hazelnuts in our own kitchens. Completing the circle, we bring this delicious goodness to you… fresh from our farm since 1976.