PHOTO: Birds from 2010. Top row: Ryan and Doug. Middle row: Eva, Lucrecia, Julie, Charlie, Scott, Karl, and Anji. Front row: Jimmy, Karin, and Kristie.
Hummingbird Wholesale began life in 1972 as Honey Heaven, a small specialty honey shop in Eugene focused on offering quality bee products to its retail customers. The venture was part of a broader organic and natural foods movement that was gaining traction in the Pacific Northwest at that time. In 1981, Eugene Scott purchased the business, shifted its focus from retail to wholesale distribution, and began expanding the range of products offered beyond honey to include other wholesome food items.
As the business grew through the 1980s and 1990s, it became a fixture in the organic food landscape of Eugene. In 2003, Scott retired and sold the company to Charlie and Julie Tilt, who accelerated its growth and broadened its mission to support sustainable agriculture and organic food systems. Four years later, in 2007, the company was renamed Hummingbird Wholesale — a name inspired by the hummingbird’s ability to “sip the nectar without harming the flower,” reflecting the business’s ethos of sustainability and care for the environment.
Under the Tilts’ leadership, Hummingbird became known not just for organic grains, nuts, seeds, and other food staples, but also for its commitment to environmental stewardship and community partnership. Over the years it received local awards for sustainability and environmental values, moved into larger and more sustainable facilities (including remodeling the Stellaria building and building the Mahonia building), and played a role in regional food supply initiatives such as supporting local milling and farming partnerships.
In 2023, Hummingbird took a particularly bold step by transitioning to an Employee Owned Purpose Trust — a governance model designed to embed its mission into the company’s structure forever. Rather than being sold or converted into a traditional co-op, ownership was entrusted to a purpose-driven trust, ensuring that employees share in the stewardship and success of the business while maintaining its core values of promoting organic farming and sustainable food distribution.
Charlie shares some of this journey in a series of videos.