ALUMNI IN THE NEWS 36
If at first you don’t succeed, go organic. BY KRISTINA THAUTE MILLER ’97 Friends, classmates, and colleagues ALEISHA CABANIOL GIBBONS ’97 and AMANDA WHEELER ’97.
First she tried a year of law school. Then two years teaching school. Then sales and marketing for another two years. Finally, bingo! Berkshire Organics, her very own company. ALEISHA CABANIOL GIBBONS ’97 grew up at Berkshire, the daughter of English teacher Ronn Cabaniol and librarian Susan Cabaniol and the sister of CHAD CABANIOL ’01. A four-year student under the Mountain, she graduated from Roanoke College and then embarked on an odyssey that would lead her to a job she was truly passionate about. A year and a half ago, Aleisha launched Berkshire Organics, local and organic food home-delivered to residents of Berkshire County. Eight vegetable and fruit variety baskets are offered for weekly or every-other-week delivery, priced from $32 to $52 depending on the size of the basket. Produce comes from a dozen local farms, and additional local and organic items such as meats, baked goods, cheeses, eggs, and soups, can be added to the basket. Aleisha says she is trying to make local and organic foods more affordable: in her storefront, produce is 25% off on Sunday and 40% off on Monday—not surprisingly, Monday is the busiest day in the store. Berkshire Organics was originally run out of Aleisha’s home in Dalton, Mass. However, she soon outgrew that space and now has her own storefront and distribution center in the same town. Aleisha’s company now employs six people, including two fellow alums—husband BRIAN GIBBONS ’89
BERKSHIRE SCHOOL • FALL 2009
and classmate AMANDA WHEELER ’97. Her experience at Berkshire had an influence on her decision to start Berkshire Organics. A former varsity athlete in cross-country and track, Aleisha has always believed in keeping fit and eating healthy foods. In Peter Kinne’s environmental science course her senior year, she saw the John Robbins movie Diet for a New America and was deeply affected by its message. Aleisha also worked at two area restaurants, The Old Mill and Castle Street Café, throughout high school and college. The owners of both establishments use local, fresh ingredients for their dishes, which she says inspired her. In its first year, Berkshire Organics went from 30 to 400 customers and was the subject of a long feature story in the Berkshire Eagle. More publicity followed: a “Best of the Berkshires” 2009 Reader Award, more newspaper stories and a news segment on an Albany, N.Y. television station plus mention on MarthaStewart.com. Aleisha says she sees herself doing this for at least the next ten years, as there is “a real need for this business in the Berkshires. ” In short, it seems that Aleisha’s job searching days are well behind her. Contact Us About Kristina Thaute Miller ’97 is the director of annual giving at Berkshire School.