All in a growing family

Ali and Nora Alquraisha are owners of Camas Produce. (ZACHARY KAUFMAN/The Columbian)

Camas Produce owner Ali Alquraisha has one word to sum up his store's success: Family.

Alquraisha is not just talking about his own family and the work they all put into the business. He's thinking of a much larger family — the community —that has helped Camas Produce see steady growth in the four years it has been open.

"We like to keep it in the family," he said, sitting outside the store on a produce crate on a sunny Monday afternoon. "We do work with 50 local growers. They get priority over the others."

During peak farming months, mainly March through October, Alquraisha's suppliers include farms in Vancouver, Hazel Dell and Ridgefield, and Gresham and Troutdale, Ore. In the summer, that amounts to 90 percent of his stock.

Camas Produce even sells locally grown apples harvested in the fall to his summer customers rather than buy imports from New Zealand.

"Why in the world would we want to spend our money in New Zealand?" he said. "If you take both apples and taste them without looking, you could not tell which one was from where."

When locally grown produce is not available, Camas Produce still likes to stay as close to home as possible.

"When we can't get local, we move to the USA, even if it means more money," Alquraisha said. "We are not really price-driven."

That small-town feel, as well as prices that Alquraisha says he thinks makes customers happy, are what keep Camas resident Earl Sadewasser coming back.

"The prices are really good and they have a lot of local stuff," he said while watching his two children, Carl, 5, and Emma, 3, as they held their bags of fruit. "It's local and smaller than the big chains. … Smaller is nicer when you are toting little ones."

Carl was quick to answer when asked what he liked most about Camas Produce. "I like the apples. I've got four!"

The 2,800-square-foot building holds more than just apples. Camas Produce also has such products as spices, nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, pickles, honey, salad dressing, salsa, bread, ice cream, chilled drinks, milk and butter.

Produce isn't the only thing Alquraisha and wife, Nora, like to keep in the family. Besides their two daughters, the couple have four other workers. They, too, are a family. Bill Waddle worked in the local mill for 26½ years before calling it quits and coming to work at Camas Produce. His daughter, Jessica, son-in-law Gordon Rodgers and grandson David Gilmore also work at the store.

Alquraisha said they help out in the community when they can. They donate produce to schools and private organizations, and work with the high school's special education students.

"They come in for a couple of hours a week and get credit, learn how to do produce," he said. "It gives them a little bit of experience."

And with the economy being what it is, Alquraisha said they try to help out customers.

"We are working with local restaurants. They know that most of the stuff here is local, and we try to help out the family by not charging full prices in this economy," he said. "They are struggling. Eating out is one of the first things that people cut. We are trying to help them out as we can."

Alquraisha said customers also appreciate the store's green approach to business. They belong to Food Alliance, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally responsible and sustainable agricultural methods.

"We recycle pallets, cardboard, give old produce to farms with pigs. It is a win-win," he said. "We have a small business we deal with who has worms. He gets our compost. It is helping him, and we don't have to pay to get it hauled."

Lettuce trimmings also go to good use.

"Some people have chickens. We'll probably give 15 boxes of lettuce trimming for their chickens," he said. "Then they bring us eggs."

Customers appreciate that giving approach.

"That sign out front?" Alquraisha said, nodding toward the large Camas Produce sign next to the street. "It was made by one of our customers for free. Remember that big snowstorm in December? One of our customers has a tractor and he shoveled us for free."

It's a big family.