Fungi, Community, and the Portland Way: The Story of Pan’s Mushroom Jerky
Michael Pan didn't set out to become a food entrepreneur. With an engineering background and no prior experience in the industry, he did what a lot of Portland's best makers do: he figured it out, found his people, and built something remarkable from the ground up.
An Unlikely Beginning
Pan’s Mushroom Jerky didn't start with a big team or a purpose-built facility. It started with a shared kitchen and a growing realization that Portland's food community is something genuinely special.
"I quickly found out that it's a big, but very small, tight-knit community," Michael says. "They're all wanting to help and trying to help other people get off the ground." For someone coming in from outside the industry, that kind of welcome made all the difference.
It's a spirit he sees woven into the city's DNA. "There's that attitude of 'we make it happen' here," he says — a culture of creating something out of nothing that has shaped Pan's Mushroom Jerky at every stage of its growth.
Why Mushrooms? Why Portland?
The mission behind Pan's goes deeper than a great snack. For Michael, mushrooms represent something bigger: a food that's good for your body, better for the planet, and free from animal cruelty. The jerky is just the beginning. His vision is an entire portfolio of mushroom-based products that tap into that potential — from health benefits to environmental impact.
Portland, it turns out, is a natural home for that kind of thinking. The city's culinary scene is world-renowned for its range and its values, and consumers here are tuned in to exactly the things Pan's cares about. "Whether it's vegan or not, it's pretty world renowned at this point," Michael notes of Portland's food culture.
Built by the Community, Committed to the City
Pan's growth hasn't happened in isolation. Organizations like Built Oregon, Prosper Portland, and Business Oregon have all played a role in helping the company navigate the journey from scrappy startup to scaling producer. Michael is clear that this support isn't taken for granted — and that it's a big part of why Pan's is staying put.
"We are committed to being in Portland," he says. "The community has been a huge help for us, and their support is helping us through this next stage of our business."
He's also quick to shout out fellow Portland food makers who embody that same community spirit. Ground Up, a nut butter brand just down the street with a mission to employ and train women in the workforce, is one he admires deeply. Honey Mama's, just up the road, is another. "There are so many," he says — a testament to just how rich Portland's local CPG scene has become.
Growing Fast, Staying Grounded
The numbers tell a story of real momentum. Pan's has produced up to 120,000 units in a single year, with an average run of 80,000 to 100,000 units annually. But with recent equipment investments, that's about to change dramatically. Over the next year, Michael expects to triple their output — a major leap that reflects both growing demand and a business that's quietly been doing everything right.
Through all of it, he credits Portland's environment — in every sense of the word — for helping him stay sharp. The mountains, the coast, the desert: all of it within reach when you need to step away from the grind and reset. "The variety of landscapes you get here is pretty incredible," he says. "The environment lends itself to helping you do that, but also helping you get out of it, too."
A Big-Small City That Welcomes Outsiders
Perhaps what Michael values most is something harder to quantify than production numbers or grant funding. It's the feeling of belonging to a place.
"The community is really tight here," he says. "There's a big-small city vibe. And as an outsider, we've been welcomed."
In a city that's earned a reputation for that exact quality — a place where a mushroom jerky brand built by an engineer with no food industry experience can find its footing, its people, and its purpose — that welcome is worth everything.
Pan's Mushroom Jerky is made in Portland, Oregon and available online and at retailers nationwide.
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