About The Event
Join us for an exclusive SFA Networking Night: Founders Dinner + Factory Tour with Olympia Provisions.
We’ll kick off the evening with a behind-the-scenes tour of Olympia Provisions’ USDA meat facility, where you’ll get an inside look at their ingredients, production standards, and craft process. From there, we’ll take a short walk to one of Olympia Provisions’ restaurants for a relaxed networking dinner.
Over great food and conversation, you’ll hear directly from co-founder Michelle Cairo as she shares the Olympia Provisions story—how the business got its start, key challenges along the way, and what they’re focused on now. Guests will also have the chance to ask Michelle questions and engage in an open discussion.
Come connect with fellow founders and industry peers, break bread together, and gain valuable insights from one of the specialty food industry’s leading founders.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Event Details
📅 Date & Time: August 6, 2026 | 4pm-7:30pm PST
📍 Meeting Point: Olympia Factory and Headquarters 123 SE 2nd Ave Portland, OR 97214 for a tour of Olympia Provisions Factory from 4-5pm followed by a 5 min walk over to dinner at Olympia Provisions 107 SE Washington Street Portland, OR 97214
Guest of Honor
Michelle Cairo is the co-founder and CEO of Olympia Provisions, one of the country's most recognized artisan charcuterie companies. Raised in a large Greek-American family in Utah, Michelle grew up in a household where food, entrepreneurship, and hard work were deeply intertwined. Family restaurants, homemade food traditions, and a constant spirit of building things from scratch shaped her early perspective. Unlike her brother Elias Cairo, whose passion naturally gravitated toward cooking and craft, Michelle was drawn to the business side of things. She studied finance and built a successful corporate career, holding leadership roles in accounting and finance before eventually becoming a controller and later a finance executive.
In 2009, Michelle partnered with Elias to launch Olympia Provisions with the goal of bringing authentic European-style charcuterie and old-world food traditions to the Pacific Northwest. What began as a modest project intended to remain small quickly grew into a nationally recognized business after early critical acclaim and award recognition accelerated demand. Michelle ultimately left a stable corporate career to dedicate herself fully to building the company, taking on the operational and strategic leadership needed to transform a small salumeria into a nationally distributed brand. Her leadership style blends analytical business discipline with strong family values and an emphasis on people, culture, and long-term stewardship. She has spoken publicly about conscious leadership, second-chance hiring, and building a company around doing things thoughtfully rather than simply doing them quickly.
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