A Berry Good Business Story
There are few things more precious than time. If anyone knows this, it’s the Gerald Roth family, founders of Willamette Valley Pie Company.
The Roths had been growing berries on their Oregon farm for three generations before launching their berry brand in 1999. Just two years later, Willamette Valley Pie Company was born. Now, with over 150 employees and a 40,000-square-foot commercial bakery in Silverton, the company makes millions of pies and cobblers from all-natural non-GMO ingredients and farm-fresh fruit. In the last four years, the business has expanded rapidly, with a compound annual growth rate of over 18%.
Turning Point’s partnership with Willamette Valley Pie Company (WVP) is the firm’s sweetest to date. Having grown up in the Willamette Valley, the company’s CEO Austin Kelly goes the extra mile to connect with employees, walking the production floor and warehouse, and chatting with members of his team. An innovative mind, Kelly is always formulating ways to foster positive change within the company and the community. Just last year, WVP helped raise over $700,000 for local and national nonprofits through their fundraising program. With Kelly at the helm, the company remains committed to independent farmers and sharing flavors of the Pacific Northwest with the whole country.
As the organization expanded nationally, WVP partnered with Turning Point to support its ongoing growth. “Growing at such a rapid rate creates several unique challenges,” said Kelly. “We were desperate to get actionable financial information throughout our business. Turning Point quickly integrated into our team, immediately delivering strategic insight into our financials and providing options to continue our growth. The Turning Point team worked side-by-side with us to craft the best strategy to move our business forward.”
Constantly connecting to its past without losing sight of the future is a large part of Willamette Valley Pie’s continued success. In 2022 the brand launched BerryFields Sandwiches; a line of wholesome nut butter and fruit snack sandwiches sold nationwide in the frozen section of Whole Foods. In addition to WVP and BerryFields’ retail presence at over 1,500 grocery stores nationwide, a beloved pie shop and café in Salem, Oregon caters to thousands of visitors and locals each year, offering pie by the slice, coffee, and lunch. Their full calendar of events is an excuse to slow down and enjoy serene views of the Roth family farm.
In this busy, digital age we live in, pie is a pleasure that brings people together. After all, “It’s hard not to smile when you’ve got pie on your plate.”
