There are so many reasons to love Sherwood, Oregon – 97140, which is why we decided to pay a visit and give you an inside look at what’s great about this small community. Like many surrounding Portland suburbs, Sherwood is close to everything, but small enough to feel like you’ve escaped the city. With a population just under 20,000, Sherwood has a quaint, historic downtown district, great schools, and affordable homes.
The first people to settle in the Sherwood area was the Tualatin Indian tribe, followed by the first white settlers in 1843. Sherwood’s main industry was a brickyard that supplied most of the building materials for a growing Portland. Following a series of fires that destroyed the original business district and brickyard, Sherwood diversified its economy to include fruit and vegetable canneries and manufacturing. Fast forward to today and you can still see remnants of Sherwood’s past in the historic downtown district and in the small town friendliness of it’s residents.
The Hungry Hero Dessert Company
Walking down Washington Street in Sherwood, Oregon, the smell of cinnamon, chocolate, and melting butter filled the air. Sugar fiends have never had it so good. Why? Because Sherwood is home to The Hungry Hero Dessert Company. Founded six years ago by Alex Wilson and Zane Cagley, this small batch bakery has built a business around the desserts and the community that they love.
The folks at The Hungry Hero do much more than bake sweet treats. One could say their hearts are as big as their sweet tooth for desserts. The Hungry Hero crew decided to give back to the community from the very start. When they first opened their doors, they started making a name for themselves and growing their stellar reputation by donating huge dessert tables to organizations that they cared about, like Basic Rights Oregon, Our House, and PHAME to name a few.
They continue to show their Sherwood pride by giving regularly giving back to their community. When we showed up, The Hungry Hero crew had just finished packing up their van with over 100 donated costumes for kids staying in local hospitals and kids in need of some Halloween joy at nearby preschools. Every new child’s costume donated was equal to one entry into a drawing for a Halloween Dessert Spread! Sounds like a sweet deal.
Each holiday season Alex and Zane adopt several families for Thanksgiving and Christmas – buying all of the food and ingredients a family would need to make a fantastic Thanksgiving meal. Oh, and they make sure to bake them a couple of their famous pies. Alex reported that last year was such a success that they hope to be able to do it again this year.
Keep The Hungry Hero on your radar for upcoming charitable events, like their Holiday Sing-a-long to raise money for local families in need. And keep them in mind for your Thanksgiving pie order! Check out their holiday menu. I highly recommend making a stop at their brick and mortar or ordering a tasty treat for your holiday parties and events.
Sherwood Dutch Bros.
Our next stop was to the Sherwood Dutch Bros. Coffee, owned by long-time residents, Ryan and Abby Hawkins. Not only does the Hawkins family work in Sherwood, they live there too and are deeply involved in their community.
Dutch Bros., a local company, truly emphasizes the great Northwest entrepreneurial spirit that we love. Travis and Dane Boersma founded Dutch Bro. in 1992 after their three-generation family dairy business was forced to come to an end. Starting with just a push-cart in Grants Pass, the brothers didn’t imagine in a few short years how fast the company would grow. Today, you’ll find that Dutch Bros. Coffee is the largest, privately held drive-thru company in the country with over 260 locations and 5,000 employees.
Sadly, Dane Boersma was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2005 and passed away a few short years later. Dutch Bros. holds an annual “Drink One for Dane” event that honors the late co-founder. All proceeds go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, an organization that leads the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease. The event has raised more than $900,000 since 2007.
Store owners like the Hawkins family in Sherwood routinely raise funds to support medical and local causes. The Sherwood drive-thru location is the 196th Dutch Bros. location for the company. This isn’t just another coffee place – Dutch Bros. is part of the community and know and care about the people living here.
What don’t we know about Sherwood, Oregon? Plenty! There is so much more to discover within this community. We hope to point you in the right direction so you can go out there and discover it for yourselves.
Tune in this Friday for the Sherwood episode of UnZip The Zip-Code to learn even more about this charming Portland suburb. And please, keep the emails and Facebook posts coming. Let us know where you’d like us to UnZip next. We love hearing from you.
Have a great week!
_______________________________________________
STACY BENNER
Mortgage Specialist • NMLS 506902
C: 503.400.5738
stacyb@go-summit.com
why.go-summit.com
Summit Mortgage Corporation • NMLS 3236
A special shoutout goes to realtor, Lisa Reid of John L .Scott Real Estate in Woodstock for the Sherwood statistics. Lisa embodies a strong work ethic and moral compass. She is a creative, out-of-the-box thinker, and great problem solver. Contact Lisa today to see how she can help make your real estate dreams come true!