Azure Standard founder pens new book, stays true to farm roots

Azure Standard founder pens new book, stays true to farm roots

Published 7:30 am Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Founder and CEO wants to encourage farmers, those with health issues

DUFUR, Ore. — This small town, population 650, holds the headquarters for an organic and natural foods distributor with 500 farm partners around the world and deliveries to 100,000 customers across the U.S. every month.

“I don’t think very many local people know how big we are,” said David Stelzer, founder and CEO of Azure Standard, which sprang from his family’s wheat farm nearly 40 years ago.

Stelzer’s new book, “Seeds of Hope: The Azure Standard Story,” will be released Oct. 13.

He started writing to encourage people with health issues and fellow farmers feeling stuck in their practices or commodity markets.

“You can win, but think outside the box,” Stelzer said.

He succeeded with direct marketing and value-added products.

The book also details challenges such as an IRS raid at the family farm, a devastating fire that destroyed a warehouse and a battle over weeds with Sherman County, which wanted to spray Azure’s organic acreage.

Stelzer wrote that a social media campaign, which flooded the county with phone calls and emails, forced officials to find a reasonable solution.

More room for growth

Stelzer said Azure stayed true to its roots as it scaled up from a single delivery van.

In the 1980s, he delivered his family’s wheat to Northwest health food stores and cooperatives.

Stelzer saw a need and refocused on distribution, but home deliveries quickly became too time-consuming so he established community drop locations.

Azure now has 5,000 sites throughout the U.S.

While most sales are online, the business still has a call center and paper catalog.

Stelzer said there’s more room for growth.

“The demand for high quality organic food is through the roof,” Stelzer said.

The pandemic boosted demand with Americans cooking more at home and wanting better options, said Crystal Stelzer, Stelzer’s daughter and Azure’s bakery manager.

An explosion of orders put Azure on solid financial footing and led to expansion.

The business more than tripled its employees to 550 in a few years.

That includes 70 in Dufur — where the business operates a bakery, grocery store, hardware store and gas station — and 150 distribution center employees in nearby Sherman County.

Azure is building a processing center for value-added products outside Dufur and the facility will include an individual quick freeze plant.

The business also has customer service, warehouse and delivery workers throughout the country.

A mission to create quality food

Azure Standard started, in a way, because Stelzer was constantly sick as a boy.

A naturopath convinced his parents to change their diet to natural foods.

Stelzer’s health returned and his father committed to organic farming in the 1970s.

From one generation to the next, the family’s health changed dramatically. Stelzer said his 11 children only had one doctor visit growing up, for a broken bone.

“I want to create hope that we can change the trajectory of the health of our families, because it changed for my family,” he said.

“My whole mission is to connect farmers who produce quality food with consumers,” Stelzer added.