MILWAUKIE, Ore. — Many of us are finding different ways to keep busy during the state’s stay-at-home order, and for a lot of us that means spending more time in the kitchen, cooking and baking.
That sudden uptick in kitchen time means a lot more trips to the grocery stores, and stores are barely keeping up with the demand for everything from flour to yeast.
Employees at Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukie have also been trying to keep up with the high demand for baking supplies.
Matthew Cox, senior vice president of marketing, said customers shopping for baking products over the last couple of months is something stores generally don’t see this time of year.
“It has been more like what we experience in November and December, in the holiday baking season, when a lot of people are doing a lot of baking at home,” Cox said.
Cox said he’s seen demand for Bob’s Red Mill products shoot up 200 percent since mid-March. He said that increase in baking at home means his employees are working nonstop to stock shelves.
He added that as those orders continue to come in, his employees will make sure they’ll be there to help customers fill the demand.