Our Story

It all started with pie.

Oregon Blackberry Pie to be exact.  Food First Marketing LLC was founded in 2007 by Cat McKenzie, a passionate Northwest based chef and experienced food industry professional. What began as a recipe development contract to create the best blackberry pie, grew into a dedicated partnership as Cat took on the important work of promoting Oregon grown berries to multiple audiences, as well as business administration responsibilities for select commodity groups. 

In 2009, Cat brought Darcy Kochis on board to expand marketing, communications, and events management in further support of Northwest and National specialty crops. Darcy took over as sole owner and President when Cat retired in 2017 and has further evolved Food First Marketing into the premier Northwest based agricultural industry promotions, events, and administrative team.

---