Swanson Bark & Wood Products was founded by Ray Swanson in 1928 (then called Swanson Fuel). The company, which was located on Talley Way in Kelso, Washington from about 1971 through 2001 - originally sold fuel in the form of wood by-products.

During the late 1960s, Martin Neumann purchased the company from Swanson. Neumann expanded the product line to include beauty bark, sawdust, animal bedding, and playground material.

When Neumann sold Swanson Fuel to John Leber in 1994, the company employed 20 people. Under Leber's guidance, the name was changed to Swanson Bark & Wood Products, Inc., the workforce has grown to 100+ employees, and Swanson has been transformed from a small, locally focused business into a nationally recognized entity that distributes its products throughout the United States.

In 2001, Swanson Bark & Wood Products moved from Talley Way (where they had run out of room) to a 20-acre site on Tennant Way in Longview, Washington, where the company continues to grow (it now occupies 68 acres). In 2010 a rail line spur was added to increase shipping capability and broaden Swanson's reach into markets outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Swanson Retail started in the early 1990’s with a small pile of medium fir bark (Fresh Ground Fir as we now call it) at Talley Way.  By the mid 90’s customers were asking for more variety and we expanded to three piles!  We carried two sizes of nuggets and the medium fir bark.  Soon after we incorporated rock and soil products all within a 1/3 acre lot!  Wow, it was crowded!

In 2001 we moved onto 3 acres of land at our current location on Tennant Way.  We have 9 different bark mulches, 8 varieties of bulk rock, 5 soil blends, 4 soil amendments, 2 sand options, wall block, pavers, and a partridge and a pear tree!  Ok, maybe not a partridge and a pear tree, but over 3000 sq ft of indoor shopping.  There you can find fertilizer, pest control, garden tools, pond supplies, bird houses and feeders, statuary, a huge selection of pottery, and much more.