Straw Propeller, a Redmond-based gourmet food company, announced Friday that it will be moving down the street to a new, larger facility at the beginning of May.

Julie Leutschaft, vice president of sales for Straw Propeller, said moving the production facility is necessary to accommodate the company’s growth over the past year. The company will transfer to the new facility on May 1.

Leutschaft said the production facility would be moved from its current space at 615 SW Umatilla Drive in Redmond, which is around 5,000 square feet, to a warehouse at 725 SW Umatilla, which would be nearly eight times larger.

She added that the company, a gourmet cereal and oatmeal producer, had grown quickly since being founded in 2011. Straw Propeller employs 20 people, and ships to seven countries outside the United States. The company also automated its production line in November, Leutschaft said.

She said that Straw Propeller would be using the move as an opportunity to expand its production line as well. The company will be introducing several savory alternatives to traditional oatmeal in the fall.

“Oatmeal has become so popular that people are starting to use it as a replacement for rice and other starches,” Leutschaft said. “So we want to make sure we’re appealing to that market.”

— Stephen Hamway, The Bulletin