Our Story

The Gartner’s Meats story really began when Jack Gartner, a Portlander since birth, returned to Oregon in 1948 after a four-year tour of duty with the U.S. Navy. Settling in The Dalles, he would spend the next eight years honing his skills as head meat cutter at the Easthill Food Center and the Hilltop Market. Anxious to pursue his entrepreneurial longing, Jack moved to Odell, Oregon, to open a small grocery store. But his heart was still in Portland — so in 1959 he came home to the Rose City and set up shop as Gartner’s Country Meat Market.

A year later, Jack’s parents, Hans and Frieda Gartner, made it a family affair, joining in to help provide Gartner’s customers with the finest smoked meats. Hans, trained as a master sausage maker in Germany, brought old-country recipes and techniques we still use today. By providing quality products and friendly, down-home service, the business grew steadily, and in 1965, Jack welcomed Jerry Minor as his partner. As teenagers, both Jack’s daughter, Sheri, and Jerry’s son, Rick, began helping out around the business — Sheri as a “sample girl” and Rick cleaning up around the shop. Eventually, their enthusiasm and interest in keeping the tradition alive would pay off when, in 2000, “the dads” scaled back their day-to-day involvement and the torch was officially passed on to “the kids.” Today, owners Sheri Gartner Puppo and Rick Minor make it their priority to keep the quality high and the environment fun — a great group of employees working together to serve customers from Portland and beyond the same way we have for more than 60 years. We honor Jack Gartner, a Portland and Vancouver area icon. He was born on June 9th, 1927 and passed on May 28th, 2009.