A powerful symbol of the artisan business surge that earned Portland a global reputation earlier this century has reupped its commitment to the city.
Jacobsen Salt Co., after casting an eye about the region, migrated a mile north from its Buckman headquarters a few months ago, landing on Northeast Ninth Avenue just south of the Banfield Freeway.
"I don't know what that neighborhood is, exactly," founder Ben Jacobsen said. "It smells like bread. 'The Bread Quarter'?"
Apt, given the sprawling Franz bakery presence, although according to the city's official neighborhood maps it's Kerns.
Jacobsen moved because it needed more space for a growing business that made a mark as an American original soon after its 2011 founding. It was a quintessential Portland locavore product gone national, a prosaic food item made special — and delicious — by attention to sourcing and craft. It won acclaim from chefs and foodies and features in the culinary press.
With the move it traded 14,000 square feet for 20,000, and not a moment too soon.
"The truth is for small businesses you often have to be bursting at the seams in order to be able to afford to take that next step," said Mary Ellen Signer, CEO at Jacobsen since 2018.
Jacobsen salt-making happens 10 miles southwest of Tillamook right on Netarts Bay, the company's raw material source. It also has a Wednesday-through-Sunday retail operation there. About 15 employees work at the coast location, Signer said.
Portland is home to administration, specialty production, packaging, distribution and fulfillment. The move to more spacious quarters opened the door to several new hires, bringing the Portland workforce to around 30.
"What we loved about the space is the immediate upgrade on the office side of things," Signer said. "We didn't have to really put any sort of cap-ex investment in and were able to focus on the production side of things. We can also continue to take on potentially more space (there) and grow into a bigger format."
It took a couple of years to find the spot, Signer said. Jacobsen, still majority owner of the company, said he felt a responsibility to the business and its employees to explore widely. It had faced issues in the Central Eastside.
"It's no secret that Portland is going through significant challenges right now, from a business owner perspective and from a workforce perspective," he said. "When you show up at work at there's poop on your doorstep or dangerous used needles all over the place, it's not pleasant."
That the new spot is "in a little bit cleaner part of town" helps, Jacobson said. And in addition to checking off the important boxes that Signer mentioned, it fulfills the founder's impulse not to give up on Portland.
"Portland is going through challenges, but I'll also say that Portland is what we all make of it," Jacobsen said. "I think this is a great time for all of us to step up, from business owners to employees, to writers, to musicians, to every doctor, lawyer, whatever, everybody in between, to stand up and think positively about the city and look forward, not backward.
"No solution, no efforts are going to be perfect, but living with imperfection while striving for improvement is better than giving up."
Editor's note: This story was updated to specify that Jacobsen's previous location was in the Buckman neighborhood. That location and the new location are both part of the larger Central Eastside Industrial District.
