The Portland Pedal Power Pack is Growing!

January 23, 2018 by Tech Crew

Thanks to your support, PPP is growing. Meet our newest members…and their pets!

We’re confident that these friendly folks will keep the gears at PPP running smoothly, so you continue to receive top-notch sustainable service, pollution free, and worry-free. Check out their stories below.

~Aaron~

Position: Chief Operating Officer

Where are you from, and how long have you been in Portland?

I’m from Palo Alto, in the Bay area. I’ve been in the Portland area for 2 1/2 years, and I’m not leaving!

Favorite hobbies/ things to do in Portland?

Eating at new restaurants, being outdoors, going to live shows of any kind.

Aaron’s dog, Meadow

Favorite restaurants in Portland?

Tasty and Alder, Renata, Irving St. Kitchen.

Favorite thing about working for PPP?

The incredibly nice, hard-working, committed people.

Favorite place to bike in Oregon?

Bend

What are you riding now?

Frankenstein titanium hardtail mountain bike

~Shawna~

Position: Marketing Specialist

Where are you from, and how long have you been in Portland?

Originally from the Midwest, I moved to Portland three years ago, after my Peace Corps service in Lesotho. High five for anyone who knows where Lesotho is!

What do you do outside of PPP?

I’m an MBA Sustainable Systems candidate at Presidio Graduate School (Seattle). In my free time, I bike, practice yoga, adventure with my partner and our dog, fiddle around with the fiddle, and get myself lost in the woods.

Favorite restaurants in Portland?

Shawna’s dog, Happy Peanut

Ate-Oh-Ate, Boxer Ramen, Handsome Pizza, Tasty and Alder, & Wolf & Bear’s

Favorite thing about working for PPP?

The culture at PPP is refreshing, engaging and fun. Our leadership encourages everyone to contribute their unique skills to special projects so that it creates a thriving community of people bringing their whole selves to work. I also love that our company is majority woman-owned and that our company is built on sustainability.

Favorite place to bike in town?

In town, Marine Drive and the Springwater Corridor. When there’s time to venture out of the city, I’ll hit the Banks-Vernonia Trail.

What are you riding now?

Salsa Viya (more…)

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Design Week Portland

April 1, 2016 by Marketing

Makers and Visionaries Light Up Portland with Design

DWPs opening night party is Saturday April 16.

Over the last ten years, the city of Portland has emerged as a leader in creative industry — building a vibrant community of makers and designers. Design Week Portland is a “week-long, citywide series of program exploring the process, craft, and practice of design across all disciplines.” DWP is on a mission to increase awareness of the effects of design on our culture and community. In the nine days between April 15-23, there will be over 100 events, 200 open houses, and many other events sprouting up across the city. See the full schedule here.

DWP is an awesome opportunity to get exposed to the behind-the-scenes thinking of designers and creators, from the main stage presenters on April 15th and 16th to the smaller gatherings at interior design studios, architectural firms, creative marketing agencies, and more.

Vicki Simon Interior Design + Kat and Maouche

The creative community has conceived of a dazzling assortment of inspired and whimsical events, including: Unabashedly Colorful Interiors, Letterpress Printers Fair, University of Oregon Product Design Exhibition, Sustainable Design Practices with the Joinery and Design Museum, IDL’s Design Fight Club, Tender Loving Empire’s From Craft to Career: How to Make it Once You’ve Made It, Fashion Forward with Portland Sewing and the Portland Fashion Institute, and ASLA and Depave’s Identity, Space and Design – The Portland Way, to name just a few.

Snøhetta presents an exhibition called People Process Projects, will be open all week for people to experience firsthand the detail and materiality of the workshop space. It’s a great opportunity to learn about Snøhetta’s projects around the world including Portland: The James Beard Public Market and Willamette Falls Legacy Project.

In support of the makers, creators, and the ever growing design community here in Portland, PPP is offering $10 off delivery with the code DWP16 during design week (April 15-23). Order up.

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Maximize Your Weekend, PDX

July 23, 2015 by Marketing

Hope to see you this weekend at Sunday Parkways!

Summer in Portland means patios, rivers, bikes, and beer. It means: get busy and get outside. This weekend Portland Pedal Power will be out in maximum, cruising our big bikes round a handful of hot summer happenings. On Saturday we will be hitting the Saturday Market and the Oregon Brewer’s Festival riverside at Waterfront Park. You can easily do both on Saturday and still have time to hit the PSU Farmers Market to shop for dinner (if you’re not too sauced!).

On Sunday, we’ll be riding the Sunday Parkways NE route in style with our Point West bikes. Sunday Parkways is an excellent event for the family or a daytime date and you’ll score lots of free stuff from vendors along the way. We will be stopping occasionally to hand out sunglasses and blinky bike lights to spread the word about the #DriveHope Campaign. There’s always a good smattering of yummy food cart options too.

ppp-is-teeing-off-the-portlandclassic-with-our-newly-outfitted-delivery-bikes-local-food-and-friendly-service-is-par-for-the-course-lpgaportlandclassic_19539236936_o

Get your golf on at the Portland Classic, coming up

Summer in Portland also means planning ahead. Weekends fill up quick! We will be cruising all these events to help promote the upcoming Cambia Portland Classic, the longest-running non-major tournament on the LPGA tour, returning to Columbia Edgewater Country Club August 13-16. This will be the 44th year that the LPGA has come to Portland, and it’s getting better every year.

Last year some of Portland’s most iconic food carts were added, including KOi Fusion and Retrolicious, returning this year. The Craft Beer center will also return this year, featuring some of the Northwest’s best microbrews. The tournament promises to feature many of the worlds best golfers.

This year they’ve added the Portland Classic Sprint to the Green 5K, a race on the golf course prior to the final round on Sunday, August 16. Tickets for the event are available online at portlandclassic.com. Weekly passes are $25 and daily tickets are $10, and children 17 and under are free. All ticket proceeds go to charity.

Get crackin’ Portland! Summer doesn’t last forever!

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A Sweet and Savory Addition: Sunee Thai & Lao

July 14, 2015 by Marketing

Thai food is definitely a comfort food for me. The combination of sweet and savory spices, bright veggies and basil, and coconut-based curries and soups never fail to satisfy. If you’re like me, you crave Thai at least once a week. So let’s get you some!

Portland Pedal Power is proud to deliver for Sunee Thai & Lao, a local restaurant located in the historic Buckman neighborhood. Sunee Thai & Lao offers authentic Thai food as well as unique Lao influenced dishes. Everything from hot curries and noodle dishes to deep fried hard boiled eggs.

Now you can get Thai delivered hot and piping right to your office. Some Sunee stand-outs include:

Lemongrass Chicken: Chicken breast marinated with lemongrass and then grilled to perfection, served on a bed of vegetables topped with peanut sauce.

Pad Phet Pla Duke: Crispy, boneless morsels of catfish, plus eggplant, bamboo shoot, basil, bell pepper, kaffir lime leaf, and Kha-chai root stir-fried with red chili paste and fresh coconut milk.

Pineapple Fried Rice: Jasmine rice with pineapple, vegetables, and egg fried with a special curry powder plus cashew nuts, raisins and shrimp.

Pad Thai: Rice noodles wok-fried in a light but sweet, red sauce with egg, bean sprout, onion, and ground peanuts. This dish is consistently highly rated by customers, many who swear it’s the best Pad Thai around.

Ready to get a taste of Sunee Thai & Lao? Check out our menu and get things cooking!

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Summer Cycling: Enjoying the Outdoors on Two Wheels

July 2, 2015 by Jon Elias

As summer rolls around, many people in Portland look for ways to enjoy themselves outdoors. Some take to hiking, others to swimming. We like to recommend cycling as a great way to get some exercise and burn off some energy, especially when it gets so nice outdoors.

Here are five reasons why you should consider taking up cycling during this summer and enjoy the beautiful summer weather we get to enjoy for the next few months:

Cycling is good for your muscles: If you’ve been on a bike for more than a few minutes, you should be familiar with a burning sensation in your legs. This is, of course, a good thing. Cycling is great for improving the muscles in your thighs, calves, and rear.

Cycling can help with joint conditions: Because cycling is considered a low-impact form of exercise, it can be especially beneficial for those who can’t take part in other higher impact exercises (jogging for example).

Cycling increases lifespan: Cycling has been linked to improving cardiovascular health, and drastically decreases your risk of heart disease. According to the British Medical Association,cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%. Discovery Magazine even writes cycling can improve your immune system, and has even shown evidence of fighting cancer. Even when adjusted for risk of injury, cycling has associate with increasing “life-years.”

Cycling improves the waistline: On an average ride, a cyclist will burn approximately 300 calories per hour. An average person will burn approximately 11 pounds of unhealthy fat per year, while building muscle mass and increasing metabolic rate.

Cycling improves mental health: While the physical health benefits are usually very apparent, few consider the mental benefits behind riding a bike. Bicycling has been proven to reduce stress and increase hand-eye coordination among those who choose to cycle a mere 30 minutes a day. The Journal of Occupational Health published an article showing cycling significantly improved mental health among those who choose to commute daily to work.

Some of these benefits may seem obvious, but it’s important to remember you can only take advantage of them if you choose to climb on the bike. The most important thing to remember is that this is an enjoyable experience! Get out and explore some of the fantastic bike trails Portland has to offer!

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Happy Sparrow – Bringing the Kolache to the NW!

June 30, 2015 by Jon Elias

If there’s anything we love more than delicious food at Portland Pedal Power, it’s delicious unique food that you would struggle to find anywhere else. The kind of food that makes someone do a double take and say “Wow, where did you get THAT?”

That’s why we are very excited to be delivering for Happy Sparrow Café, who specialize in making the Kolache (kuh–lah-chee)!

Now if you’re anything like me, you may have never heard of a kolache. But Happy Sparrow’s creations compete with bagels and donuts as the favorite breakfast meal in Texas. A pastry that competes with donuts? Color me surprised… and more than a little curious.

So what is a kolache? According to Mary and Danny Quach, the owners of Happy Sparrow, it’s a “sweet soft bun filled with yummy fillings, then baked to a beautiful golden delight.” Like many things in life, it’s the insides that count! (But take it from me, the outside is just as tasty!) This special pastry was brought over to the States by Czech immigrants, and once the locals in Texas got a taste, they couldn’t get enough.

Today, Mary and Danny continue the tradition of creating delicious Texas-Style Kolaches like the ones they enjoyed growing up in Houston and Austin. But now, they get to use some of the best local Northwest ingredients resulting in a fresh and delicious treat. You will find Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, Zenner’s sausages, locally crafted fruit preserves, all fitting inside a hand-rolled, lovingly made treat.

On our menu, you will find kolaches for the sweet tooth, savory kolaches for those looking for a hearty breakfast, and even mini kolaches for those just looking for a quick snack before work. No matter how you’re feeling, there’s a kolache to compliment the mood.

So what are you waiting for? Do yourself a favor: try a kolache, and change the way you look at breakfast!

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Water Avenue Coffee – The Unsurpassed Standard of Coffee

June 25, 2015 by Jon Elias

Miguel Menendez, owner of 9 coffee farms in El Salvador

There’s nothing like handcrafted coffee to help you start the day. Portland Pedal Power is proud to deliver for coffee roaster Water Avenue Coffee, a local coffee pioneering the unseen frontier of micro-roasted craft coffee from countries around the world. Check out how Water Avenue Coffee got its start, and how it’s become a Portland Phenomenon.

Water Avenue Coffee (WAC) was founded in the early days of 2010 with the goal of becoming Portland’s neighborhood coffee roaster and offering the best handcrafted coffees from around the world. They purchased a 1974 Samiac coffee roaster from its Swiss owner and set to work providing Portland with fresh roasted fresh crop coffees.

WAC’s father and son ownership team of Bruce and Matt Milletto have a wealth of experience in the coffee industry. Bruce began his coffee career in the 1980’s by opening his own espresso carts, but quickly moved into education, founding Bellissimo Coffee Infogroup in 1991 and the American Barista and Coffee School in 2004 to help others follow in his footsteps and pursue their dreams of owning their own coffee business. In the ensuing decades he and Bellissimo have published books, DVD’s, and educated thousands of budding entrepreneurs.

With a father recognized as an industry luminary, Matt started his career with a wealth of coffee knowledge already at his disposal. Beginning in Eugene and Corvallis in the early 90’s, Matt started as a barista, café manager, and barista trainer before joining his father at ABCS, and later opening WAC. Together they have assembled a team with further years of experience and passion for coffee to help produce the best coffees. WAC’s goal is to share the best of the world’s coffee crop, working as closely with coffee producers in countries of origin as possible. Through careful roasting and extensive research it is their goal to offer these coffees at their freshest and best, celebrating the seasonality and diversity that is inherent with any agricultural product.

Finca Las Delicias in El Salvador

WAC’s menu has something for just about every coffee drinker. It features many seasonal single origin coffees for the more adventurous, changing regularly as coffee producing countries begin exporting their produce. For those looking for a coffee that is consistent month in and month out Water Ave also offers two blends, the El Toro Espresso and No 7 House, designed to appeal to the more traditional coffee drinker.

Education is also key to WAC’s mission. They strive to provide as much information and traceability about their coffees as possible. Their roastery crew posts about new offerings on the company blog full of information, and the friendly staff in their café are always happy to help with brewing tips!

Ready to get some Water Avenue Coffee? Take a look at our menu, where you can order coffees from distant locations and delivered right to your office!

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The GenZe – How eBikes should perform

June 23, 2015 by Jon Elias

MVA2897 You’ve got to love electric bikes. You’re staying away from the use of petroleum, but you’re not killing your legs while you’re going uphill. It’s a nice compromise between getting around on your own power and accepting some assistance when necessary.

But sometimes,that compromise is a bit more apparent when you use an electric bike. Sometimes you have a very limited range. Other times, it might not give you the power you need when you’re really tackling those hills during your commute. And while the bike runs well while the batteries last, that extra bulk can add a lot of extra weight when you are in need of a recharge. So is there really a happy medium between electric assist and leg power?

There is now. The creative minds over at Mahindra have created the newest revolution in the eBike community, called the GenZe. When the creators first sat down to design this bike, they had one thing in mind: Relentless Practicality. They wanted to create a bike that fit to your needs, not something that you would have to adjust your own riding style to use.

The result was a bike that doesn’t compromise performance just to boast about its electric assist. Instead of a clunky electric motorcycle that happens to have pedals, the GenZe is first and foremost a bicycle. Only better.

ebike2 I actually had a chance to ride a GenZe bike during the Eco Lloyd Fair a few months ago, and let me tell you – it was a blast! When I first got on the bike, I was told to take it for a spin around the walkway a bit, just to get a feel for the ride. I did the loop on what felt like a perfectly average bike – It wasn’t incredibly heavy, and it didn’t feel like a chore to get up to speed.

Then I was told to crank up the assist and start pedaling, and all of a sudden, I was moving.

I had control over my speed like any other regular bike, and that electric assist gave me that extra umph that really gets you rolling. While I was moving at a pretty good clip beforehand, I felt like I was flying with the extra power behind me. And best of all? The transition from my legs to the electric assist was so smooth, I could barely tell where the pedaling stopped and the assist began.

I wasn’t riding a clunky electric bike – I was riding a bike that just happened to have electric assist.

Check out GenZe eBike when you’re ready to see what an electric bicycle should really feel like.

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Celebrate Pride with a Rainbow Mimosa from Remedy!

June 11, 2015 by Jon Elias

Pride is here Portland. We at Portland Pedal Power love to take part in the annual Pride Parade. It’s a great chance to show pride in our LGBTQ community and rub elbows with the folks that help to make Portland unique.

This year, one of our favorite places, Remedy Wine Bar, will be opening early to fuel the parade marcher/goers with rainbow colored Mimosas and bagels!! Remedy is known for its comfortable chairs and cozy living room vibe.

Located in a historical pharmacy that provided the entire western United States with cure-alls and other tinctures, the owners of Remedy wanted to make sure their wine bar would be a much needed “remedy” for all types of occasions and wine drinkers. A place for wine novices who want to know more, wine experts who want something different, and people who just want to enjoy a glass, Remedy is the perfect neighborhood wine bar.

This year, Remedy is helping everyone celebrate Pride Week by offering mimosas and Bowery Bagels on location between 9AM and 12PM. Along with a delicious bagel and schmear, you will be able to enjoy Remedy’s Rainbow Mimosa, which includes OJ, Grapefruit, Mango, Guava, OJ, Lychee, Peach, Pineapple and Jalapeno. Or, if you’re feeling a little more subdued, enjoy a glass of sparkling wine instead.

So grab your rainbow flag and come down to Remedy during this coming Pride Parade! Great company, Bowery Bagels and Rainbow Mimosas? You can’t help but have a great time.

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Enjoy Beer Week with Whole Foods in the Pearl!

June 2, 2015 by Jon Elias

In a city like Portland where craft beer reigns supreme, you have to imagine that dedicating a week to beer would be a pretty serious endeavor. After all, where do you even start planning that kind of week? And where do you go first to celebrate?

Rest easy, Portland. Whole Foods has Beer Week covered! Starting on June 12th and going until the 23rd, Whole Foods is dedicating the week at their Pearl District Location to the craft beers of Portland. This event will directly benefit Harpers Playground, and organization dedicated to building a better playground for kids and adults alike. Whole Foods will be hosting a number of events and invites the city to celebrate its unique blend of local flavors.

Hold up, you might think. There are craft breweries all over the place. Does Whole Foods really have the expertise and knowledge to dedicate a week to Portland Beers? The answer is a resounding Yes.

Kris McDowell of Beer Musings recently had a chance to take a look at the selection at Whole Foods, and was pleasantly surprised by the selection you could find in their Craft Beer refrigerator. In her blog post where she talks with Jason Jaime, the beer specialist at Whole Foods (Talk about a dream job!) Kris found that Whole Foods is “committed to making sure they have a great, current selection of new and seasonal beers.” In a city like Portland, it’s no wonder that would be a full time job. Take a look at Beer Musings from Portland to read more about Kris’ interview with Jason.

Check out a few of the events you will enjoy when you come celebrate with Whole Foods:

Brewery Tour – Ever wonder how something as delicious as Craft Beer is created? Whole Foods can show you how! During the tour, you will find out how so much goodness can be created from hops and barley.

Block Party – To really kick things off, Whole Foods will be blocking off a portion of NW Couch for a block party dedicated to Craft Beers! Come try some of the best local flavors, award winning labels, and perhaps a few new releases.

Special Release – To perfectly commemorate the occasion, Whole Foods will be unveiling a special label at the event. Be the first to see the unveiling during Beer Week.

Soiree Party – Enjoy the finer things in life with a Soiree! Whole Foods will have a selection of oysters, cheeses, and the finer things in life including some select craft beers to perfectly accentuate the flavors at this party. Black ties are completely optional.

Come enjoy this fantastic occasion! Our riders are going to be out on the road telling everyone about what you can enjoy during Beer Week. When you see us on the road, flag us down and ask for a schedule of how you can enjoy this coming Beer Week.

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~Aaron~

~Shawna~