2025 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit

Jeremy Vrablik began his first temp job in produce just weeks after graduating with an International Business degree from Eastern Washington University—a role he never imagined would evolve into a 20+ year career in food sales and logistics. He worked every role in the business, gaining firsthand insight into how the food system operates, how fresh food warehouses can run efficiently, and where good food too often falls through the cracks.

In 2017, Jeremy founded Cascadia Produce, a small wholesale operation that quickly grew into a statewide food access partner. Through a series of federal, state, and foodbank level engagements, Cascadia began producing curated food boxes, distributed via a network of food security partners across Washington.

As Cascadia grew, Jeremy expanded infrastructure and began specializing in surplus and retail-rejected bulk food—bringing it back into circulation alongside regular wholesale and box programs. Under a 2023 Washington State Department of Commerce grant, Cascadia rescued over 3.6 million pounds of edible food at risk of landfill, rerouting it into the local food system. In the system Jeremy has built, farmers are paid, people are fed, and nothing is wasted.

Today, with fewer than 10 employees, Cascadia moves more than 10 million pounds of food annually—offering radical transparency around discounted surplus produce and making it accessible to anyone seeking affordable bulk food. This also creates fresh food donation streams for foodbanks—free, nutritious food that would otherwise not be in the state. Jeremy’s approach blends deep industry experience with nimble, values-driven practices to create a secondary market system that pays farmers, creates food access, and prevents organic waste from entering landfills.