The man behind whole-grain foods giant Bob’s Red Mill, Bob Moore, died Saturday. He was 94.
A statement on the company’s website said that he “peacefully passed away at home” and “will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality, his leadership and passion for whole grains [and] his strong work ethic.”
Moore’s cause of death wasn’t immediately clear.
Moore retired from his day job at Bob’s Red Mill in 2018, when his wife Charlee passed away.
At the time, then aged 89, Moore transitioned to a board member role, which he held up until his death.
Moore and his wife founded the Milwaukie, Ore.-based natural foods company back in 1978, producing whole wheat flour for local customers.
Nearly five decades later, and Bob’s Red Mill has more than 200 products — including certified gluten-free options like chickpea and coconut flour, and steel cut oats — that sells in 70-plus countries.
The company is beloved for its health-conscious approach to operating a flour mill — including by Katy Perry, who went incognito to an organic products trade show in 2019 and waited patiently in line to meet Moore and have him sign a book for her.
When the “Teenage Dream” singer met the so-called “Grain God,” however, he didn’t recognize her.
An eyewitness told Page Six at the time: “I overheard Bob — who is a total icon in the health food space — say, ‘Who are you?’ And she was like, ‘I’m Katy.’”
“And he said, ‘What do you do?’ She replied, ‘I’m a musician.’”
“Then Bob sweetly said, ‘Well, good luck to you’ . . . and then she left.” The witness added, “It was hilarious.”
Reps for Moore didn’t comment at the time, but insiders told Page Six he was a music lover and had two pianos in the mill at his Bob’s Red Mill HQ in Oregon that he played daily, plus a grand piano at home.
“Bob’s legacy will live on forever in all of us who had the opportunity to work with him and is infused into the Bob’s Red Mill brand,” Bob’s Red Mill CEO Trey Winthrop said in the company’s statement. “He did everything in his power to leave us on a strong path forward.
In 2010, Moore turned the company over to employees. “More than 700 employee owners now own the company,” Bob’s Red Mill said.
Moore is survived by his three sons: Ken, Bob, Jr. and David — all of whom have lived their lives away from the spotlight as their father has served as the face of the brand — as well as nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Bob’s Red Mill encouraged local customers in its statement to visit its grain store in Oregon “to share a memory in honor of Bob” while “a celebration of life service is being planned.”
Fans of the company already flooded its social media with messages for its late founder.
On an Instagram post sharing the news of Moore’s passing, one commenter said: “His product has made such a significant impact on the world,” while another said that Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free options saved her daughter.
Representatives for Bob’s Red Mill did not immediately respond to noti.group’s request for comment.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
