Coming soon to your front door.
(Photo/graphic: BikePortland)

Bike-powered business, urban freight delivery and local food production have come together in a very exciting way in Portland.

Today two local companies that have built strong niches hauling cargo with pedal power — B-Line and SoupCycle — announced they’ve joined forces. From now on B-Line’s electric-assist cargo trikes will distribute meals for SoupCycle, a company with over 600 customers throughout Portland.

It’s an intriguing collaboration that shows the maturity of Portland’s bike business ecosystem and it comes just days after the University of Washington debuted a new “Urban Freight Lab” in partnership with major retailers and shipping companies with an aim to make downtown deliveries more efficient and friendlier for humans and the environment.

For SoupCycle and B-Line, the move allows both of them to do more of what they do best.
[Read more…]

Knoll’s mangled bike.
(Photo: Cedar Knoll)

A man nearly crushed last week by a large box truck whose driver allegedly ran a red light on Martin Luther King Boulevard has issued a rare citizen citation after Portland police declined to investigate.

According to Cedar Knoll, a food courier for the local company SoupCycle, the man drove his truck at high speed through what would have been a well-established red light at the intersection of NE Dekum Street and MLK Boulevard (map). Knoll said the driver only stopped the truck and returned to the scene after a witness drove after him and flagged him down.

A police officer who came to the site told Knoll, accurately, that it would be against Portland Police Bureau policy to investigate the incident or issue an officer-initiated citation because Knoll didn’t need to leave the scene in an ambulance (for more on the PPB’s investigation policy, read our report from 2008).

Here’s Knoll’s account of what happened, written before he issued the citizen citation:

[Read more…]

SoupCycle Founder and CEO Jed Lazar pedals in downtown Portland. He estimates he’s made about 15,000 of the company’s 50,00 deliveries since July 2008.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Sometime this week, locally based SoupCycle will make its 50,000th delivery. It’s a milestone that company founder Jed Lazar says “feels incredible and unreal.”[Read more…]

Sorry. This job has been filled. See more jobs here.

Job Title: Prep Cook (part time)
Company/Organization: SoupCycle
Job Description:
We’re a small quirky company that makes and delivers organic soups using local ingredients. We’ve been in business three years- we have a solid foundation and we’re growing rapidly. Every week we cook and package 3 different soups (meat, vegetarian, and vegan) and then deliver it to the masses of Portland by bicycle!

We are looking for someone who:
• loves making and eating soups
• has past professional food experience of 2+ years
• has past experience making soups
• is passionate about local organic food
• has knowledge of seasonality, vegetable varieties and local flavors
• has experience cooking in a production environment with large batches (not required, but a definite plus)
• is focused and fast; able to keep prep work and cooking on task
• is able to wield a knife like it’s nobody’s business
• is excited to learn from an experienced chef
• has management experience (bonus points)

Responsibilities
• Prep work, soup cooling, packaging, product labeling, dishes and kitchen cleaning
• One year minimum commitment

Schedule
• During the summer: Tuesdays 8am-6pm (approx)
• Starting in the fall this job will likely expand to Sundays and possibly Saturdays as well.

Compensation:
Pay is $10/hour plus a generous soupy allowance.

How to Apply:
Send 2-3 paragraphs telling us why you want to work with SoupCycle, your kitchen experience and relevant skills to jed[at]soupcycle[dot]com. Position will close when filled.

BicyclingHub.com’s new store
on SE Stark opens November 1.
(Photo: BicyclingHub.com)

Local bike businesses are moving, expanding, and celebrating. Check the updates below…

BicyclingHub.com Relocates and Expands
Online cycling apparel retailer BicyclingHub.com has announced that they’ll move into a new, larger location at 642 SE Stark Street on November 1st. Currently located at 211 SE Madison Ave, owner Doug Duguay says the new 4,000 square foot space will “help us live up to our full potential.”[Read more…]

Jed Lazar on a delivery.
(Photos © J. Maus)

A year and a half ago, Portland residents Jed Lazar and Shauna Lambert launched SoupCycle to bring fresh soups, salads and breads to anyone with a soupscription. On Wednesday, they’ll make their 10,000th delivery.

This pedal-powered (and electric assist) soup delivery company has gone far beyond being just a novelty and has ridden Portland’s love for bikes, good food, and local businesses to truly commendable heights. Since they started up back in 2008, Lazar, Lambert, and their “Souper Hero” employees have ridden over 3,300 miles. [Read more…]

Jed Lazar and SoupCycle have delivered
over 4,000 soups by bike since last year.
(Photos © J. Maus)

In this economy, small business success is hard to find. But for Jed Lazar and his partner Shauna Lambert — the duo behind locally based SoupCycle — the first year in business has been as healthy as their home made soups.

When we first wrote about them back in November 2008, things were already off to a promising start. But now, with the first year under their belt, SoupCycle has beat the odds and seems to be on a roll.[Read more…]

[Read more…]

Mr. SoupCycle, Jed Lazar.
(Photos courtesy Jed Lazar)

Who would have thought that in this down economy, a local business that delivers soup by bicycle would flourish?

That seems to be the case with SoupCycle. Launched back in August, the Southeast-Portland based company started by Jed Lazar now boasts 100 weekly soupscribers. Lazar is so busy he recently took out a job listing on BikePortland (for a “Bicycle Delivery Souper Hero” — get it?).

I checked in with Lazar a few days ago and he told me that, “Things are going well and the business is keeping us busy”. He also added that 100 deliveries is “nearly insane for me to deliver myself.” He makes the deliveries all over Southeast Portland (a place he calls Souplandistan) from SE Powell to I-84 and from I-405 in Northwest Portland to SE 39th.[Read more…]