Encore: Getting a slice of a Staid Category, Willamette Valley Pie Company - On the NexxtLevel Brands Podcast

Encore Presentation: My guest today is Austin Kelly, CEO at Willamette Valley Pie Company in Oregon. I speak with Austin about how Willamette is growing their business– carefully self-financing, planning their expansion slowly and naturally.  Their products occupy a premium, artisanal spot in the frozen pie category, and continue to be hand-crafted from berries grown and frozen in their family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing plant and farmland in Salem, OR since 1999.

Austin’s own background started at the age of 15 working in a cherry orchard, and later at Dave’s Killer Bread, so as he puts it, “Berries plus baking equals pie.”

Willamette Valley Pie Company has grown berries in the bountiful Willamette Valley for three generations and each of their pies and cobblers are still hand-crafted with all-natural ingredients. Willamette knows that sharing dessert can create special family connections. What began as a small cannery-style operation in a backyard warehouse quickly grew into Willamette Valley Pie Company – a family-owned and operated business – producing the best pies around! You can order pies directly online, or visit their country store which opened in 2009, located in Salem, OR on the same property as their processing plant and flagship bakery. Look for a new cream pie line to debut this fall.

The “NexxtLevel Brands Podcast’ is hosted by G. Steven Cleere, Founder and “Chief Pot Stirrer” of NexxtLevel Brands. This show focuses on disruptors and thought-leaders from the Entrepreneurial Food, Beverage, and CPG Industry, but we also share tips from veterans and key suppliers that may help fellow CPG professionals achieve their goals.

Discussion Points

• Background and history of Willamette Pie
• Austin’s bakery + fruit background and career led to ‘pie’!
• Coming in as leadership at Willamette – where were the areas for growth?
• Capturing space as a premium product in the frozen pie cases
• Covid effects? Frozen pies did very well
• Willamette continues to self-finance, no investors
• The response to inflation- created some innovation and smaller pies to contain costs
• 2022 is shaping up to be a good fruit harvest
• The origin of Marionberries
• Prepping for the fall/holiday pie season- new cream pie launch
• Organic– Willamette consumers are more interested in farm origin than organic
• Where to find? Shipping direct to consumer, Whole Foods and Kroger
• Words to grow by, Maya Angelou “People always remember how you made them feel.”
• Reach out to us with show and guest ideas

Resources:

Austin Kelly LinkedIn

Willamette Valley Pie Website

NexxtLevel Brands Website

1. Steven Cleere LinkedIn