Q&A with Nate Lown of Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies
Nate Lown, 35, opened Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies on Belmont last June. Lown grew up in Southern California and moved to Portland in 2012 to attend Portland State University to study music. He fell in love with Sunnyside when he was a bartender at the Liquor Store. Though he lives in the Rocky Butte neighborhood, he thinks Sunnyside is a perfect spot for his business. “I love ingredients and I love ingredients with integrity,” says Lown, who uses all organic ingredients, Fair Trade chocolate, and makes his own vegan butter for his cookie dough. “Because, to me, that’s worth it. You know? I’m selling a $4 cookie but you’re getting quality.” We chatted about why oatmeal cookies get short shrift, the perks of a niche business, and why Belmont is a great spot for a cookie shop.
Why did you choose Sunnyside?
Nate: I’ve always loved this neighborhood. I used to bartend across the street, so I was always here. I was looking around for retail space, and I know Ashley from Mix Tape. She was like, “You know, the spot next to me is vacant. You should check it out.” It wasn’t even on the market.
Did you have to do much to fix it up?
Nate: We built a little “pony wall” [between the production kitchen and the public-facing area], we redid the floors and put on a coat of paint. That was pretty much it. These [gestures to the cookie case] are all on wheels. I wanted it to be really modular.You know how it is nowadays – people love having pop-ups. So when I was designing this place, I wanted it to be collaborative and flexible.
Why did you decide to focus on oatmeal cookies?
Nate: When the pandemic hit, I was bartending at two places. Let’s just say the pandemic changed the course of my work in the service industry. I’ve always loved food, being in the kitchen and coming up with new ideas—innovating. It started with my mom’s recipe for the raisin pecan oatmeal cookies. I said, “Mom, send me that recipe so I can make them” in early COVID days. So she sent me the recipe and a box with all the ingredients. I started making them and then I started selling them to friends and family on Instagram.
But a lot of people don’t like raisins. So I made a chocolate chip version. And then once I did chocolate chip, I did a peanut butter one. And then I did a cherry almond one. I got this idea of, “I love oatmeal cookies and they’re really good—in all sorts of flavors.” And you know, the more I peeked around online, I realized no one was doing a bunch of different flavors of oatmeal cookies. Nobody does that! The oatmeal cookie always gets shoved to the side. But people love ‘em.
After that, I got into the Beaverton Farmers Market. I did Hillsdale as well. Then I thought, “Let’s do brick and mortar!” I just needed to find the right place. This place is a great deal. And this building was built in 1890. It was the first Post Office of Sunnyside. [This space and the space that Mix Tape was in were the Post Office.]
Are all your cookies gluten-free?
Nate: Half of my cookies are gluten-free and half aren’t. I say, “We have gluten-free options, let me know if you want to know what they are.” [For the record, they are: Trailblazer, Triple chocolate and Snickerdoodle.] I don’t like too much signage that says gluten-free and vegan. It turns people away. They are moister than most gluten free cookies—not dry and sandy. I’ve worked really hard on my recipes to give the gluten-free ones a really good texture. People have been blown away with the results.
Oatmeal cookies are such a niche. Do you think your business will thrive?
Nate: We have tea and coffee, too, because people were asking for it. But staying focused is important to me. And, it means that there’s less food waste. I have almost no food waste, which is great.
Because you can estimate how many cookies you’ll sell?
Nate: That and we’re on Too Good to Go—that’s an app where anytime I have cookies at the end of the day I can post that. All these people who have the app can get them at 1/3 of the price. They can spend $5 and get $15 of food. And then I make granookie! That is, I make granola with the day-old cookies. So you can put it on your yogurt and have it for breakfast? Yep. I sell that in the store.
How many types of cookies do you have?
Nate: I have six kinds. I sell a new sample box of 12, so you get two of each. My goal with the niche business is that people really think of Nate’s Oatmeal cookies as something they can get for their party, their event, their wedding, etc. If you want to get something that’s a little bit healthier, a little bit better for you, you can get Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies. We use all organic ingredients, no animal products, no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. We put a lot of the good stuff in there—nuts, fruits, chocolate. And instead of getting a box of donuts, something where everyone will have a stomach ache afterwards, I wanna be the place where people are like, “We should get something healthier this time.”
What’s the Trailblazer cookie?
Nate: It’s hazelnuts, almonds, dark chocolate, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and — it’s like a handful of trail mix.
And triple chocolate?
Nate: We use three different type of chocolate chips – 70%, semi-sweet chocolate, and “milk chocolate” that’s made with rice milk.
You are dairy free?
Nate: Yeah. We make our own vegan butter from scratch. I use organic coconut oil, organic sunflower oil, sunflower lecithin, green pea milk. It’s made from peas—it has more protein. We go to all this trouble because the vegan butters out there use hydrogenated palm oil and canola oil, both of which are highly processed.
What do you like about Sunnyside?
Nate: I like the community. I like that there are always families walking around because you have the school right there. It’s just such a great little neighborhood!
What do you think could use improvement in Sunnyside?
Nate: I like it. It’s got its charm, you know? Nothing is meant to be perfect. If Sunnyside were an oatmeal cookie, it would be homemade. You know? Maybe it would have a cherry spilling out of the side or some chocolate. Maybe it wouldn’t be a perfect circle. But it’s perfect with its imperfections.
Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies, 3308 SE Belmont St., is open Thurs.-Monday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Stop by and grab a cookie and welcome Nate to the neighborhood!
