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.