Oregon Convention Center ‘walks its talk’ by choosing local, sustainability-focused coffee vendor, Portland Roasting

International convention-goers and local event attendees can now enjoy craft specialty coffee from beans sustainably harvested and processed from around the globe at the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) thanks to a new partnership with Portland Roasting.

All catered events at the OCC, as well as the Portland Expo Center and Portland Center for the Performing Arts, began offering coffee sourced and roasted through Portland Roasting this week. Later this year, the company will open two newly-renovated coffee shops inside the OCC, currently occupied by Starbucks. The first is slated to open August 1.

“The Oregon Convention Center is considered the portal to Oregon’s bounty for visitors from around the world and we are proud to serve fresh, high-quality ingredients by vendors who share our commitment to practicing sustainability,” says OCC executive director Jeff Blosser. “Offering Portland Roasting allows us to improve the coffee-drinking experience for our clients while adding to our long list of green operations.”

Located within blocks of the OCC, Portland Roasting has earned a reputation as a sustainability leader and innovator while, at the same time, staying true to the small batch, craft-roasting ethic. The company has built long-standing relationships with farmers committed to stewardship of the land, supports international and local community-building initiatives, and utilizes products that are healthy for consumers and the environment. Portland Roasting uses compostable bags for cargo delivery and transports its products by bike through Portland-based B-Line Bikes. While the quantities necessary to meet the OCC’s needs may exceed bike capacity, delivery to the venues will remain emission-free as the company’s alternative mode of transportation, a new electric Nissan Leaf, is put to use.

“Being chosen as the local coffee of choice at the Oregon Convention Center is an honor in addition to a great business partnership,” says Mark Stell, managing partner at Portland Roasting Company. “We are thrilled to offer locally-roasted, specialty coffee to visitors. Good coffee is a cultural asset to Portland and to Oregon. Being able to align with the convention center, an operation that is making business decisions based on sustainability, is what Portland Roasting is all about.”

About Portland Roasting
Portland Roasting has been a steadfast pioneer of Portland coffee culture since 1996, navigating the coffee-growing regions of the world to bring the best of each season’s crop to Oregon. One of the first coffee companies to deliver its products to clients by bike, the company provides coffee through wholesale, retail and online channels as well as through private businesses and institutions. Portland Roasting’s sustainability platform includes the Farm Friendly Direct program and the Northwest’s first biodegradable Ecotainer. Visit www.portlandroasting.com for more information.

About the Oregon Convention Center
The Oregon Convention Center is the largest convention center in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and a top meeting destination. It leads the industry in sustainable operations and business practices as the first to earn LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building) in 2004, and in 2008, the first to be recertified LEED-EB Silver. Totaling one million square feet of space, it hosts an average of 650 events and over 700,000 visitors annually. Visit www.oregoncc.org for more information.

The Oregon Convention Center joins the Portland Expo Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts and Oregon Zoo in a family of visitor venues owned and/or operated by Metro regional government. www.oregonmetro.gov.