PORTLAND, Ore. — One week ago, Shin Shin Foods, a noodle factory in North Portland, burned down. All employees working there got out of the building safely, and no one was injured. However, the fate of the business — and those tied to it, like Umi Organic — is now up in the air.
Lola Milholland, who launched Umi Organic in 2016, said she saw the smoke filling the sky on the afternoon of June 24 and had a feeling that Shin Shin Foods, only a block away, was on fire.
"I knew. I could just tell where it was," she said. "I reached out immediately to our staff and friends there and learned that everyone was safe. But ... it was already such a big fire."
Her company, which produces organic ramen and yakisoba noodles, has partnered with the noodle factory for years. One of their biggest customers to date: public school districts across the state.
"I wanted to start the business to make a noodle from here, sourced from here, that was really for this region," Milholland said. "We are their only organic product. We did all the sourcing, we did the recipe, we did recipe development with them. But they already had the capacity with the machinery that we would never be able to afford."
Following this fire, Milholland said their connected futures are uncertain, though there's a possibility her business could close its doors for good.
"It's a possibility," she said. "I'm in the scenario planning phase, so I think it's not an inevitability, you know?"
Next week, Umi Organic will host an open house, selling what's left of their inventory, and donating what remains. The company is unable to continue making their noodles for the time being, but will continue to support their partner, Shin Shin Foods, however they can.
"The community of Portland has their back and they have our back. I've felt that strongly," Milholland said.