Bob Moore Oral History Interview (1 of 2)

In interview 1, Moore recounts how after reading a personal account in the book John Goffe’s Mill of a man who renovated an old mill, Moore decided he wanted to mill flour as well. After acquiring used millstones he set up a small mill in Redding California with his sons and wife, Charlee. Their belief in the healthy value of a diet built on whole grains soon gained popularity in the 1970s and their small business was a success. After “retiring” and moving to Oregon to study the Bible in its original languages, a derelict feed mill operation caught his attention and Bob’s Red Mill began in earnest. Moore recounts how he and others grew the business of making and selling whole grains into a successful international brand and on his 81st birthday announced to employees that he was selling them the company in an Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP).

Bob Moore was born in 1929 in Portland, Oregon. For much of his life, Moore managed an automobile service center. In 1978 – inspired by his wife Charlee, who had long harbored an interest in healthy eating – Moore founded Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon. A prominent producer of whole grain products, the company now employs over 600 people and sells its products worldwide. In addition to success in business, Moore is well-known for his philanthropic efforts, which include OSU’s Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Natural Medicine. Created in 2011 as a result of a $5 million gift, the Moore Family Center researches the roles that whole grains and other foods can play in improving human health and preventing disease.