Bob Moore

Robert Gene Moore (February 15, 1929 – February 10, 2024) was an American food executive and philanthropist. He and his wife Charlee founded Bob's Red Mill, a brand of whole-grain foods and baking products, in 1978. Known for his white beard, red vest, bolo tie, and flat cap, an illustration of Moore's face is found on all of the company's products, alongside the salutation "To Your Good Health".

Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in San Bernardino, California, he had a number of jobs throughout his life, including serving in the United States Army, owning a pair of gas stations, and working at JCPenney. He discovered his passion for whole-grain milling in the mid-1960s, when he started up Moore's Flour Mill in Redding, California, in 1974. After briefly retiring to learn to read the Bible in its original languages, Charlee and Bob ended up opening up another flour mill in Milwaukie, Oregon, that became Bob's Red Mill. The company grew to $100 million in revenue by 2010, at which point he transitioned the company to an employee stock ownership plan based on his religious convictions. He retired as CEO in 2018, remaining a board member until his death in 2024 at age 94.

Early life and education Robert Gene Moore was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 15, 1929, to Ken and Doris Moore. He had a younger sister named Jeannie. He was raised in San Bernardino, California. During his youth, his father had a job driving a Wonder Bread truck.

Bob, Charlee, and two of their sons, Bob Jr. and Ken, opened Moore's Flour Mill in Redding, California, in 1974. The business was located in a vacant Quonset hut.

In 1988, the mill was torched by an arsonist. By April 2020, the company was entirely owned by its more than 700 employees. Moore described his plan for employee ownership and profit-sharing as rooted in his Christian belief that "The Bible says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Moore took home the Golden Spurtle, besting seventeen other contestants in the traditional porridge category.

Moore retired as CEO in 2018, remaining a board member at Bob's Red Mill until his death. Their donation also helped establish the Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness at Oregon Health & Science University. Moore died at his home in Milwaukie, Oregon, on February 10, 2024, five days before his 95th birthday.

Moore was a Christian.