About US
Champion Greens
Rooted in the Forest. Grown with Heart.
We're based right here in the Pacific Northwest, deep in the heart of Washington’s lush, rainy forests. This forest isn’t just where we work—it’s where we live, breathe, and thrive. Whether we’re harvesting boughs, planting trees, or picking pine cones off the forest floor, we spend over 30 hours a week in the wild woods we proudly call our “farm.”
Our Story
Champion Greens was founded in 2005 by me, Marrissa Cornia. I was just 18 years old and pregnant with second child when I officially started this business—with my husband, who’s been by my side through it all (and still puts up with me!).
I began by walking into the Longview Timber Corp. office and asking if I could harvest a leafy green called salal from their forestry land. Imagine a pregnant teenager with a dream, walking into a corporate office asking for a shot—I’m pretty sure they thought I was nuts! But they gave me a small patch of land in Chehalis, and I got to work, harvesting thousands of bunches of salal.
Then came the challenge of selling it. I reached out overseas—to Europe, of all places and to my surprise, they said yes! That’s when I learned the hard part wasn’t just harvesting—it was logistics, storage, and shipping. I thought I’d be in the woods all the time, but suddenly I was spending more time in the warehouse than the forest
Still, I wasn’t done. I wanted to harvest more—Christmas noble fir boughs, moss, cedar, Douglas . I went back to Longview Timber Corp. and asked for another opportunity to collect specialized forest products AKA Wreath material . They gave me patches way up in the snowy hills of a remote town called Cougar, Washington. That first winter, snow came up to our knees, and conditions were tough, but we pulled it off. I stuck with it for three years until they finally leased me some ground closer to the valley more manageable, but still wild and beautiful and unfortunately still gets snow.
It’s been a journey filled with struggles, hard work, and perseverance. I pulled my husband and kids into the business too—because I couldn’t have done it without them. My husband is the one who gets me unstuck from the snow, keeps our crew on track, and always shows up when it counts. The kids They’ve grown up in this life. Whether they’re helping load boughs, plant trees, burn brush, or make wreaths, they’re a big part of the story. Don't ask the kids about pine cone harvesting they will likely not respond.
We have three children—ages 23, 18, and 9—and every single one of them is still involved in the family business. It's not always easy, but we believe that hard work builds character, and one day, they’ll look back and know just how special it was to grow up in the forest with a tree-hugger mom who never gave up.
Hope you have a great holiday season!
Signing off Marrissa Cornia