10 Years After Salt & Straw’s Inception as an Ice Cream Cart, Company Continues to Grow with New Locations in Eugene and Beaverton.
PORTLAND, Ore. (October 13, 2021) – Salt & Straw Ice Cream will open two new scoop shops in Oregon, one in Eugene next spring and another in Beaverton next summer. This will lead to six scoop shops in Oregon, in addition to the three Portland locations and one Lake Oswego location.
The Portland-based, small-batch ice cream company is known for its curiously delicious flavors, exceptional hospitality and locally-sourced ingredients. A family-run business, Salt & Straw was founded by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek. Best known for its cult-favorite ice creams, Salt & Straw offers innovative, taste-provoking flavors that connect fans to food narratives and provide ongoing taste adventures. With a mission to create a warm, welcoming neighborhood destination, Salt & Straw invites visitors to explore unbelievable flavors and connect with one another.
Salt & Straw was founded in 2011, originally serving ice cream from a push cart with only 8 flavors. It has since grown to a beloved brand nationally with nationwide shipping. Its newest scoop shops will be located at 135 Oakway Road #B in the Oakway Center in Eugene, which will feature a mural designed by native Oregonian artist Jesse Vickery from Pattern People, and at 2735 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton.
“It’s always been a dream to open a shop in Eugene and we’re so excited to see this location come to fruition,” said Salt & Straw’s CEO and Co-Founder, Kim Malek. “We’ve spent years collaborating with the University of Oregon and other local businesses, like Singing Dog Vanilla and Red Ape Cinnamon. It’s unbelievable to get to open such a special shop in our backyard, and we cannot wait to meet everyone!”
Salt & Straw will hire 50+ positions to staff its newest locations, offering extensive training programs in hospitality, food safety and leadership. Benefits include access to affordable, high-quality health care, family leave, employee assistance, disability insurance and paid time off for both full-time and part-time employees.
Salt & Straw has created its flavors and produced its ice cream in small-batch quantities in Portland since its inception in 2011. The company employs over 200 people in Oregon across its offices, production facilities and scoop shops.
Community has been important to Kim & Tyler from the beginning, serving ice cream to SOLVE Oregon volunteers and cleaning up Alberta Street before the cart. Community was one of the reasons Kim wanted to open Salt & Straw, to be the happiest part of people’s day and support the local community. Salt & Straw has worked with dozens of local businesses throughout Oregon, raising the profile of makers and farmers producing artisanal products.
Kim and Tyler Malek are both heavily involved in community efforts in Oregon, with Kim serving on the Oregon Justice Resource Center and Avel Gordly Center for Healing, and Tyler serving on the board for Urban Gleaners. Salt & Straw has recently supported many community organizations, including the Restaurant Workers Relief Fund, World Central Kitchen, and Oregon Basic Rights. Salt & Straw frequently donates ice cream to local hospitals for frontline workers and at events across the city, as well as offers multiple internship programs in the Portland area, including PDX Emerging Leaders Program and currently De La Salle High School Internship program .
“It’s exciting to be part of this new community of restaurants and businesses opening at Cedar Hills in Beaverton, building gathering places and bringing a new energy to this area,” said Kim Malek. “It’s always been a dream to open in this part of the city and we’re so grateful to have the opportunity to continue to expand in our own backyard.”
Salt & Straw fans can indulge in an ever-changing menu of the brand’s small-batch, hand-churned ice cream as the company creates unique menus every four weeks. The Oregon-based company has sourced and collaborated with many artisans and suppliers across the state, including Mathilde’s Kitchen, Durant Olive Mil, Rogue Creamery, Singing Dog Vanilla, Imaginary Authors, Oregon Hill Farms, Coava Coffee, Bitterman Salt Co, Freddy Guy Hazelnuts, Red Ape Cinnamon, Steven Smith Tea, Chocosphere and many others.
ABOUT SALT & STRAW ICE CREAM
Salt & Straw Ice Cream is a Portland-based, family-run ice cream company that was founded in 2011 by cousins Kim & Tyler Malek. Salt & Straw makes unbelievably delicious ice creams that tell the narrative of artisans, meaningful food movements and important social causes. The company creates a unique menu that changes every four weeks, makes ice cream by hand in small batches and designs a generous store experience that’s personalized and welcoming. The debut Salt & Straw Cookbook was released in April 2019, published by Clarkson Potter. Salt & Straw presently has three scoop shops in Portland and one in Lake Oswego, with new scoop shops arriving in Beaverton and Eugene in 2022. Pint packs are available for online purchase, and can be shipped anywhere in the United States as
Find more information at www.saltandstraw.com, or call 503-954-1458. Follow us on Facebook at Salt and Straw Ice Cream, Twitter and Instagram: @SaltandStraw.