(Photo courtesy of Central Oregon Locavore)
Central Oregon Locavore, the Bend-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that paid more than $1.4 million directly to local food producers in 2025 alone, is opening a second marketplace location this fall and a handful of local businesses have already moved to put their names on it.
Locavore at Discovery West will be a 600-square-foot neighborhood-scale marketplace in Discovery West Plaza, serving the rapidly growing westside corridor of Bend. The store will carry the many of the same local producers as Locavore’s flagship NE 3rd Street location, bringing year-round access to local meat, produce, and pantry staples to a neighborhood that currently has none.
Four businesses, including, Discovery West, Harcourts The Garner Group Real Estate, Equip Foods, and Lineage Provisions, have already committed as equipment sponsors, each claiming permanent naming rights on a specific piece of store infrastructure before the opening. Remaining sponsorship opportunities range from $1,500 to $20,000 and are available on a first-commit basis.
The timing is deliberate. Discovery West is one of Central Oregon’s fastest-growing planned communities, and its ZIP code, 97703, carries the highest average household income in Bend at $186,000. The neighborhood is new enough that no local business loyalties have been established yet.
“Discovery West families are choosing where to live based on values, love of the outdoors, walkable neighborhoods, local food, and businesses that are invested in this place, ” said Nicolle Timm-Branch, founder and executive director of Central Oregon Locavore. “We built this store for them. There are only a handful of opportunities left for local businesses to sponsor equipment and claim their spot in this neighborhood before we open.”
Equipment sponsors receive permanent name placards on their sponsored piece for the life of the equipment. Other sponsor recognition opportunities include, exposure at the grand opening festivities and planned VIP event, inclusion in launch materials including marketing and media relations, and announced to more than 5,200 newsletter subscribers with a 64% open rate, and a growing social media following. Sponsorships are tax-deductible donations to a 501(c)(3) organization.
Locavore projects more than 315 shoppers per week through the Discovery West location in year one, a conservative estimate scaled from the flagship store’s current traffic, representing more than 16,000 brand impressions annually on a captive, repeat audience that visits weekly to restock on fresh food.
Central Oregon Locavore’s consignment model returns 65 cents of every dollar directly to producers, the same margin farmers earn at a farmers market, without the booth fees, labor, or time off-farm. Since the organization began tracking sales in 2014, it has paid more than $8.7 million to local producers across seven Central Oregon communities. The Discovery West location is projected to increase annual producer sales volume by 25 to 30 percent, based on the flagship store’s 17-year sales model scaled to the new location’s size.
“We are not asking businesses to advertise,” said Timm-Branch. “We are asking them to be part of the infrastructure that keeps local food alive in Central Oregon. That is a different thing entirely.”
Equipment sponsorship spots are limited and are being secured now. Businesses interested in claiming remaining equipment can contact Nicolle Timm Branch directly at director@centraloregonlocavore.org, or visit centraloregonlocavore.org/discovery-west.
About Central Oregon Locavore:
Central Oregon Locavore is a Bend-based nonprofit marketplace connecting local farmers, ranchers, and producers directly with Central Oregon families. Founded 17 years ago on a farmer-first model, Locavore returns 65 cents of every marketplace dollar directly to regional producers. The organization supports more than 150 local farms and makers and is committed to building a resilient, accessible, and community-centered regional food economy.
