When Craig Reinhart couldn’t find a chipotle hot sauce that hit the mark for him, he set out to create his own. Using only seven organic ingredients, including agave for flavor balance, Craig developed a deeply rich and flavorful chipotle hot sauce then named it after the community that inspired it. Bend Sauce can be used on its own, or in the kitchen to create your own culinary masterpieces. “We like to say it’s a chipotle Nirvana for chefs,” Craig says. Bend Sauce was officially launched at Winter Fest in February of 2020, and soon found itself on grocery store shelves, including Market of Choice. The business now offers a range of chipotle-based products including, Smokin’ Hot Honey, and Cinder Dust. Craig recently acquired the popular, Brother Bru-Bru’s Hot Sauce label as well with the objective of keeping the integrity of the brand. The company is also making steps to become zero-waste. Bend Sauce upcycles byproduct left from producing Bend Sauce and Smokin’ Hot Honey to make their Cinder Dust Seasoning. “We’re working towards being zero-waste. We don’t want to throw away any quality byproduct if it can be repurposed,” Craig says.

Influenced by global travel and well-practiced as home cooks, Becca and Justin Christiansen sought to create artisan salt blends that would elevate meals created for enjoyment at the family table or for entertaining friends. “With perfect proportions of sea salt drawn from the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean and all-natural spices, our artisan blends provide balance and complexity to a range of dishes,” Becca says. “Our methodology is rooted in salt’s unique ability to enhance the taste and our experience of food.” Their flagship blend, Steak Salt, started it all for Portland Salt Co. Becca recalls that during the pandemic, when social gatherings and shared meals were at a standstill, friends and family requested that she ship them some of her homemade “steak salt,” a salt-forward blend with garlic, onion, black pepper and just a hint of cayenne.