Matt Unger was born and raised on a strawberry farm in Cornelius Oregon. After
he graduated with a BS in Agriculture from Oregon State University he farmed with
his brother Steve for four years. He then married Kathy and began farming
as Unger Farms Inc. in 1984. Matt and Kathy raised four children, Will,
Brian, Laura, and Greg, who all helped on the farm.
In the beginning they raised only
strawberries and cucumbers for processors. Currently Matt and Kathy grow
Oregon strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes all for fresh
market with excess to local processors.
Matt picks out the best tasting varieties for the
fresh markets. A heirloom strawberry named Hood that bears in June.
An everbearing variety named Albion that has a great shelf life with an
excellent flavor and produces June through October. Their blueberry varieties included,
Spartan which produces in July and Darrow that produces in August.
Tulameen is their signature raspberry that produces in July and Caroline
raspberries in late summer. They have Arden Blackberries in July and
August and Obsidian blackberries for late July. In September they have the Redflame seedless
grapes.
In late May to early October they sell at 18 different
local farmers markets a week. They sell to many different local grocery stores.
They also supply a number of local road side stands from Tillamook to
Portland. This will also be their 3rd year being
part of the Farm to School program for the Portland Public School District.
All the berries are available under their Oregon Summer label in the six 1-pint
1/2 flats for farmer markets, stands, and stores. Strawberries are also
sold in eight 1-pound clamshell trays to the stores.
Berries are picked
daily and pre-cooled to preserve the quality our customers expect.
Unger Farms uses sustainable
practices such as integrated pest management, cover crops, sod roadways and
isles, mulches, and drip irrigation to name a few.
