Bob Moore: Sustainable growth and the good life

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He's become the poster boy (at 81, it's worth noting) of the natural foods business. Bob Moore who started Bob's Red Mill in 1978 both espouses and personifies the fortifying effects of whole grains.

But to hear him talk to a roomful of businesspeople as he did earlier this week at the Business Journal Power Breakfast, you quickly figure out that he's got a slightly different view of what a sustainable business is than many others in Oregon.

Maybe it has something to do with those 600-pound millstones that he sources from a particular quarry in France. Or the fact that the stone grinds grains slower than at most modern mills, leaving more of the bran and germ of each grain in tact.

"We're a part of the eternity of life," said Moore who employs just over 200 people at his Milwaukie mill. "Milling wholegrain flour is everlasting. That's sustainable."

Sustainability in Bob's Red Mill's case is also growth. The company has grown an average of 23 percent per year in its three-decade history and last year revenue grew at 28 percent under adverse economic conditions.

"We're looking for new grains all the time, staying one step ahead of everyone," Moore said. "We encourage farmers to plant what we need."

Bob's Red Mill is careful in its sourcing, making regular visits to farms and grain elevators to make sure the quality is up to snuff. Such attention to detail has underpinned the company's growth.

Attention to detail, that is, and an unflagging passion for the business. The bottom line for Moore? "We're not feeding near enough people whole grains."

Stay tuned for further growth.