Dari Mart is a chain of

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...

s located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Dari Mart has 44 stores (as of 2019) located exclusively within the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

, from Albany to Cottage Grove. It is most notable as a supplier of

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

, and other dairy products from Lochmead Farms, one of the largest independent

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

s in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. Most store locations are in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area in

Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene. It is named in honor of Joseph Lane, Orego ...

, while several stores are located in rural communities in Lane,

Linn Linn may refer to: People * Linn (surname) * Linn (given name) * Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990) Places Germany * Linn (Gangkofen), a part ...

and Benton Counties. Lochmead Farms sells of milk and of ice cream a year through the chain of stores, and the joint store-farm operation employs more than 450 people. The company has started selling dairy products internationally as well. In 2014 the company began expanding beyond the convenience store model and opened Dari Market (Store #50) in Pleasant Hill, the first location to offer full-service grocery shopping.

History

The first Dari Mart store opened in 1965 as a way to market the farm's dairy products. Gladys and Howard Gibson established Lochmead Farms in 1941, and has been owned for three generations by the Gibson family of

Junction City, Oregon Junction City is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, it has a population of 6,747. The Junction City area is notable for its Scandinavian heritage, with the city's Scandinavian Festival attracting ...

. Today, about 20 Gibson/Straube family members spread across three generations work with the Dari Mart and Lochmead Farm companies. Portraits of family members' children playing on hay bales, with young farm animals, etc. are featured prominently in most store locations.

References

External links

*
Hoover's Business information listing for Dari Mart
Benton County, Oregon Companies based in Oregon Convenience stores of the United States Retail companies established in 1965 Junction City, Oregon Linn County, Oregon Lane County, Oregon Privately held companies based in Oregon 1965 establishments in Oregon {{Oregon-company-stub