Innovative entrepreneurs

It feels out of place to discuss craftsmanship and gender. But despite it being 2023, we still haven’t reached equality. In this issue, we have focused on four successful, women-run Portland businesses. Partly because we can, and partly because we want to.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JONAS LARSSON

Liquor tastings are not the same as wine tastings. This lesson arrives to me four or five glasses into the delectable, blessed spirits at Freeland Spirits. As I repeat myself, praising Jill Kuehler for her gin, she just laughs and thanks me for the kind words - again.

Quality controlling the real world can be a tough job, but someone has to do it. We have arrived in Portland to check out the female artisans in town, and it’s probably a good thing that Freeland Spirits was our last stop of the day. Those ladies know what they’re doing, believe me.

Portland, Oregon, is one of the most creative towns I have ever visited. It has creativity and creations coming out of every pore, constantly breaking barriers. The entrepreneurial spirit seems a potent elixir of life engrained in its inhabitants from birth. Others come here tempted by the scent of freedom in both idea and action. The fact that sustainability, equality, and cooperation are top priority is the cherry on top.

I once asked Erik, who runs the denim brand Ginew with his wife, what competition is like in Portland.

“We don’t have competition, we have community,” was his answer. Fair enough.

As faithful readers of the magazine know, we’ve been to Portland before. This is the city of many faces, and we never get tired of coming back. So here we are again, to eat really well as well as to meet crafty enthusiasts whose smallest common denominator is that they are female entrepreneurs. Come along for the ride to meet urban farmers, spirit distillers, jewelers, and textile designers.