From humble beginnings, LifeSource’s founder built a small natural foods empire in Salem

When he moved to Salem, Alex Beamer was used to driving 60 miles to buy tofu.

Beamer had been living deep in Oregon’s Cascades at Breitenbush Hot Springs, which he founded as an intentional community in 1977. The original residents cooked communally, often making the drive to Salem to find natural and organic foods at small specialty stores.

By 1991, Beamer made the move “down the hill” to Salem so his kids could attend a…