Weston, OR – April 2026
Last month, south of our Weston, Oregon plant, cyclists gathered for Real West Gravel on the ‘white’ roads that cut through the same fields in which our crops thrive. The event is grassroots by design and fits our effort to connect food to everyday vitality which includes active living, celebration, gathering, and traditions.
Gravel Roads, Familiar Ground
Real West Gravel is not your typical cycling race. It is a ride for the community, a gathering rooted in a shared appreciation for wide-open landscapes, physical challenge, and the kind of camaraderie that comes from tackling the same dusty hill together. This year’s routes wound through the very agricultural land that Lakeside Foods now calls home, making the partnership feel less like a sponsorship and more like an open invitation to our new neighbors and partners, like the Pendleton Catering Company.
Our products fueled participants throughout the day and post-ride, a natural fit for a company whose work has always centered on nourishing people and communities. Colleagues from Senior Leadership, Marketing, Quality, and Operations joined as both participants and volunteers, making it a true team effort.
Showing Up for the Community
March in eastern Oregon does not always cooperate. This year, a cold windy Sunday greeted riders and crew alike. Still, the local Lakeside Foods Operations team showed up anyway, arriving early to help set up, connect with participants, and represent the company in a community it intends to call home for years to come. Putting a logo on an event is one thing. Being there for it and feeding each other is another.
For Lakeside Foods, Real West Gravel reflects what “Life in Motion, Naturally” looks like beyond the production floor. It is about staying connected to the places where our work begins, the fields, the roads, the communities, and showing up for the people who make that work worth doing.
More Than a Single Event
Partnerships like Real West Gravel and the Pendelton Round Up are a reminder of what grounds us, literally. The land our business depends on, the people who work it alongside us, and the everyday moments of movement and connection that hold communities together over time. We are grateful to be part of this corner of eastern Oregon and look forward to building on this relationship in the years ahead.
Photos by: MOT Photography
Vests designed by: Caleb Wills