RAW PET FOOD
Welcome to Volume Seven
Publisher: Editor:
FE AST
Marlene Petersen
Managing Editor: Elena Gutierrez Byrne
Creative Director: Brett Olson
Contributing Writers: Kelli Boylen
Elena Gutierrez Byrne
Beth Dooley
Jan Joannides
Marlene Petersen
Michelle Sharp
Bonnie Warndahl
Executive Director: Jan Joannides
Cover: In September 2023, Carleton College students, working as civic engagement fellows through Carleton's Center for Community and Civic Engagement, visited Sharing our Roots, Northfield, Minn, to help harvest hazelnuts and learn about agroforestry.
Story suggestions? Comments? Contact us: Editor,
Local FEAST! Magazine
312 Center Street East Hammond, MN 55991
editor@local-feast.org
This edition invites you back to the FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, Saturday, November 2, 10am-4pm, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minn. to celebrate Local Foods Day. The proclamation, made at last year’s event by Mayor Kim Norton, honors the work individuals, nonprofits and businesses are doing to raise awareness about the positive effects local foods have in the Upper Midwest. Take a deeper dive into what FEAST! is and all the wonderful things you’ll find at this year’s festival on page 18.
This issue also showcases transitions and renewals, starting with an exploration of how spent grains and seeds get new life through upcycling (p.8) and how shareduse commercial kitchens help small food businesses grow (p.22). Our cover story explores agroforestry, the integration of trees with crops and/or livestock in multifaceted systems that create flavorful local foods and may even have the power to curb climate change (p.28). We also look at farmland succession—the challenges and rewards retiring farmers and landowners face when seeking the next steward for their land (p.37).
Our recurring series Hot Off the Pass checks in with chefs in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin to see how local foods feature in their fare (p.45), and Last Call reveals mocktails so tasty you won’t miss what’s missing (p.52).
Thanks for being a local foods fan. We look forward to celebrating Local Foods Day with you in Rochester, Saturday November 2!
Warmest regards, The FEAST! Local Foods Network
/localfeastnetwork LocalFeast
FEAST! Partners & Sponsors
Turkeys without shortcuts since 1939
We proudly raise our turkeys in much the same way our family has for over 80 years, since our founders – Fern and Dale Peterson – began our farm in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Free-range. Antibiotic-free. Naturally processed.
From Beer to Bread
Upcycling Spent Grains
By Beth Dooley
Tote bags made from airplane seat covers, windproof jackets sewn from hot air balloons, coats from cast-off jeans and wedding dresses. Upcycling may be the hottest trend in fashion, but it isn’t new to food. Think bruschetta, crostini and bread pudding. It’s not recycling but a way to transform the by-products of cooking and food processing into memorable dishes, entirely different (and often tastier) than the original.
While chefs and home cooks have done this for some time, it’s relatively new to many manufactured products.
The American Hazelnut Company, Viroqua, Wisc., is a leader in this nascent upcycled food industry. Every bit of their hazelnuts is put to delicious use. Smaller and more flavorful than those shipped in from the West Coast, Europe and Turkey, their Midwest-grown hazelnuts are great for snacking, baking and garnishing cocktails. American Hazelnut also coldpresses their nuts into a golden culinary oil with a smoke point that’s higher than virgin olive oil and loaded with omega 3’s and vitamins. What’s left after pressing is ground into a high-protein, gluten-free flour, so nothing is wasted.
Not only do these perennial shrubs produce incredible edible products, they also shelter pollinators and wildlife, stem run-off, and help retain valuable topsoil.*
Recreating our food system to be sustainable requires engagement and trust. The most successful example? Seven Sunday’s Oat Protein and Sunflower Cereals crafted in Minneapolis from upcycled sunflower oil and oat milk byproducts. They’re light and crunchy, much tastier versions of the overly sweet, artificially-colored national brands. They make a great snack, too.
Seven Sundays’ five oat protein cereals— Chocolate Sea Salt, Simply Honey, Maple Cinnamon, Super Fruity, and Golden Apple—are made with upcycled oat protein powder called “Oatgold,” a product extracted from the oats used in the process of manufacturing oat milk and oat cream and developed by SunOpta, a food company based in Eden Prairie, Minn.
“These oats were once thrown away,” says Brady Barnstable, who founded Seven Sundays, the Minneapolis-based company in 2011 with his wife, Hannah. “Now they’re getting new life with three times the protein and twice the fiber of regular oats.”
Their four sunflower cereals—Real Cocoa, Maple Sea Salt, Real Berry, and Real Cinnamon—are created with the seeds left from the cold-pressed oil made by Smude’s Sunflower Oil, Pierz, Minn. After pressing the sunflower seeds, the meal is dried and ground into high-protein flour filled with fiber.
“Sure, it’s just cereal,” says Brady, “but our company is working to build a better food system in harmony with nature, using ingredients grown locally, while collaborating with other likeminded companies.”
Distilleries and breweries provide some of the biggest opportunities for upcycling because of the amount of spent grain they generate every week. When thrown away, these by-products of brewing have an enormous carbon footprint, comprising a quarter of global food waste, according to the U.N.
To keep these grains out of landfills, some local breweries like La Crosse Distilling Company, La Crosse, Wisc., and Forager Brewery, Rochester, Minn., have turned their spent grains into animal feed for local farms.
Searching for a way to provide further human use for these ingredients, Twin Cities food upcycler Sue Marshall founded NETZRO, Minnesota’s first company to convert spent brewing ingredients into upcycled grain.
“We recover industrial food and beverage by-products and transform them into new upcycled ingredients with a new value that can be used again in the food chain,” says Sue of NETZRO’s proprietary platform, which includes proprietary equipment.
“Instead of the current linear economy of take, make and dispose, upcycled food products and materials eliminate waste and regenerate nature. Given our food supply issues and food shortages, upcycling may also alleviate some of the hunger we are seeing in our country.”
The future for these nutrient-rich foods is promising, but the biggest barrier to a robust upcycling industry is cost.
“Having this make financial sense is where the struggle has been,” Sue notes. “If you want to get safe, recycled grain into cereal, it has to be at a certain price per pound.”
In 2020, Sue brought several Minnesota breweries together to form the Twin Cities Spent Grain Co-op, which includes Utepils, Lift Bridge Brewing, Modist Brewing, Dual Citizen Brewing, and Tattersall Distilling. The members strive to upcycle grain into new food products, like a mix of rye and wheat flour with some barley, blended with locally-milled organic whole wheat from Baker’s Field Flour & Bread, now being developed for the consumer market.
Converting spent brewery grain requires dedication and quick action. “After the breweries are through with the grains, they begin to degrade immediately. You literally have a few hours, not days,” says Sue.
NETZRO sells its equipment to breweries and distilleries to help speed up the process. It’s a hub-and-spoke model that provides services to small craft brewers in
Midwest-grown hazelnuts drying after harvest (above).
Staff at grower-owned American Hazelnut Company, Viroqua, Wisc. packaging hazelnut flour (middle).
Spent grains from breweries and distilleries undergo NETZRO's proprietary process to upcycle them into new food products (below).
the Twin Cities including Bang Brewing, who supplies NETZRO with spent grain, including Kernza®.
An early partner with NETZRO in product innovation is Shelley Santrach, founder of THE CENTRAL MIX Gathering Place & Kitchen Space, in Columbia Height, Minn. For the past five years, she has been developing a variety of foods with NETZRO’s spent grains and vanilla beans. Shelley showcases her cakes, cookies, seasoned oils, and extracts, upcycled from makers across town. You’ll find dishes like Orange Polenta Cake and
sweet and savory scones—made with spent ingredients including cornmeal, rye, barley, and orange peels. Don’t miss her spicy pulled pork on soft buns made with spent wild rice flour (from upcycled wild rice beer).
“It takes time and imagination to create great tasting foods with these new ingredients,” says Shelley. “They are far different in taste and texture from their original.” An engineer and talented cook, she admits that the other challenge is scaling up. “The environmental benefits of getting more life out of processed foods
and beverages won’t be enough to move this work forward. I’m not in this solely for the money, it’s creative and I know it’s doing some good. I’m happy to share what I know with others willing to bring it forward.”
A network of entrepreneurs and established businesses is sparking innovation as The Upcycled Food Association. Capturing unutilized ingredients and turning them into delicious sustainable products can help address one of our generation’s biggest food issues: climate change. Consider that 8% of human-caused greenhouse-gas emissions can be attributed to discarded food globally. In the US, food loss and waste annually result in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 42 coal-fired power plants.
Upcycling works to keep spent ingredients out of our waste streams, reducing some of these harmful effects while also creating incredible edibles. Is this too much to ask of a cereal or an oil? Is it too much to ask of us?
—Beth Dooley is a James Beard Award winning food writer.
Our special thanks to Sue Marshall at Netzro for supporting Local FEAST’s nonprofit journalism and for helping to make this story possible.
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Local Charm and Farm Fresh Fare
LODGING: The Charmant Hotel. As charming as its French name, a boutique hotel was originally constructed in 1898, as FUNKE Candy Factory.
DINNER: Lovechild. Uncomplicated fare with intriguing local ingredients by a James Beard Nominated Chef.
ENTERTAINMENT: The Root Note. Sustainably-sourced fare. and handcrafted coffees & cocktails paired with an eclectic mix of performers, live music, and art.
BRUNCH: The Restaurant. Open-concept eatery located in The Charmant Hotel serving French-inspired, locally-sourced cuisine.
ART: Pump House Arts Center. Visual arts gallery with rotating exhibits including professional, youth and emerging artists, and free admission.
SWEETS: The Pearl Ice Cream Parlor. Famous ice cream & waffle cones made in-house daily with a conjoining sweet shop offering vintage and handcrafted candies.
EXPERIENCE: La Crosse Distilling Co. Regenerative distillery producing organic spirits. The distillery also houses a farm-to-table restaurant, cocktail bar, and microbrewery. Tours and cocktail classes are open for reservations.
DINNER: The Waterfront Restaurant and Tavern. Legendary in the region for its seasonally-driven fine dining experience with seating indoors and out.
SHOPPING: Larson's General: sustainable living essentials. Curated Boutique: interior design services with gifts and home decor. Willow Boutique: women’s fashion & styling services. White Buffalo Thriftery: vintage furniture, home-decor, and apparel. Antique Center of La Crosse: mecca for enthusiasts and collectors.
FARE: Schuby’s Neighborhood Butcher. Unique delicacies, deli sandwiches, charcuterie. Host of the Butcher Counter Experience, 9+ course Omakase-style dinner with meat-focused dishes and wine pairing.
Outdoors: La Crosse offers a wide variety of outdoor experiences: hiking, bike trails, beaches, river cruises, walks, outdoor art installations and murals.
www.lacrossedistilling.co/events | angela@lacrossedistilling.co
01. Charmant Hotel 02. The Root Note 03. Lovechild 04. The Root Note 05. Charmant Hotel 06. The Pump House Art Center 07. Pearl Ice Cream Parlor 08. La Crosse Distilling Co. 09. La Crosse Distilling Co. 10. The Waterfront Resturant & Tavern 11. Willow Boutique 12. CURATED Retail Boutique 13. Riverside Park 14. Larson’s General Store 15. Schuby’s Neighborhood Butcher
LOCAL FOODS MARKETPLACE
regional farmers and foodmakers with eaters for the benefit of all.
Marketplace: November 2, 2024, Rochester, Minn. Mayo Civic Center, 10am-4pm
Celebrate Local Foods Day in Rochester at the largest local-food extravaganza in the Upper Midwest. Artisans across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa bring you their best—from meat, cheese and sauces to craft alcohol, pastries and chocolate.
Sip, Sample, Shop
A host of unique foods to try before you buy, like spicy African peanut brizzle, cricket snacks and Taiwanese sausage.
Industry-Only Tradeshow: March 20, 2025, Cannon Falls, Minn.
Saturday, Nov. 5 • Mayo Civic Center • Rochester, MN
www.local-feast.org
How do the products you love at the Marketplace make their way to retail shelves? Lots of hustle, including pitches to wholesale buyers—think grocery managers and school foodservice directors—who decide what to purchase in quantity. FEAST! helps facilitate some of these introductions through its nonprofit, industry-only tradeshow each spring.
FEAST! Local Foods Network
A network of nonprofits, individuals and businesses work throughout the year to connect local makers with local eaters. Why? Because it's not just about savoring unique flavors. Local food is essential to building resilient local economies, providing jobs and adding a special sense of place to our communities.
FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace and Tradeshow are nonprofit events presented by Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Renewing the Countryside, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Compeer Financial, and participating members of the FEAST! Local Foods Network.
Fun, educational activities for kids!
Cooking demonstrations to inspire your local-food meal prep.
The People Have Spoken
By Elena Gutierrez Byrne
Once a year, the FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace crowns a People's Choice winner in Rochester, Minn. Selected by attendees at the one-day festival from dozens of talented foodmakers, the award is a coveted honor.
Sailor Mercy, an elderberry syrup company in Stillwater, Minn, won the prize in 2022 and 2023, making them the only twotime winner in the award's history. So we sat down with owner Dani Dircks to learn more about her business and the passion that drives her.
What inspired you to start Sailor Mercy?
It grew from my determination to keep my family healthy. Before I started the company seven years ago, I'd never heard of elderberries. But I’ve always respected the practice of natural remedies, so I was quick to jump on the elderberry train after I learned about its beneficial properties. I
experimented with 4-5 batches until I had something my four children loved. A few weeks later, a business was born. It only made sense to name this womanowned business—created because I was a mom myself—after my two beautiful daughters, Sailor and Mercy.
How does your business differ today?
We're still creating the exact same recipe of delicious elderberry syrup—still smallbatch, with local and organic ingredients and bottled in glass. But we've moved from my home kitchen to a commercial one and have grown from just me, hustling 16 hours a day, to employing 20 local women. We've also grown to roughly 70 retail outlets. We love being a family-first company that allows our employees the freedom of flexibility on scheduling and empowering other women and mothers to chase their dreams.
Tim Penny, President and CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (far right), a FEAST! Premier Sponsor, presents the 2023 FEAST! People’s Choice Award to Dani Dircks.
What does it mean to win the People's Choice Award?
Having FEAST! festival-goers vote us in as their favorite, two years running, feels like we’re doing some things right and that people love our products. That means everything.
Meet Sailor Mercy at the 11th Annual FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, Nov. 2, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minn., or shop their products in retail outlets across the Twin Cities. For more details or to shop online, visit sailormercy.com.
Sailor Mercy proudly displays its 2022 People's Choice Award at the FEAST! Tradeshow.
The beautiful color and blooms at their festival booth is just one way Sailor Mercy captivates FEAST! attendees.
Diverse products with good package design help Sailor Mercy stand out.
Behind the Scenes
How Shared-Use Commercial Kitchens Shape Our Local Foodscape
By Michelle M. Sharp
Chika Griswold, owner of paleo-friendly Num Nuts LLC, started her business in her home kitchen, where Minnesota law limited her sales. As her nut mix and Nut Gravel toppings grew in popularity, she wanted to expand, but the law requires that all food or beverages sold in retail stores meet specific requirements, including production in a state or county inspected commercial facility. To scaleup, Chika needed to acquire her own commercial kitchen or outsource the manufacturing, but neither were viable options. Her solution came through a shared-use commercial kitchen.
Space to Grow
Similar to a timeshare, shared-use commercial kitchens allow multiple
enterprises to rent the same kitchen space. These facilities can springboard small food makers to new markets and help establish strong small- and mid-sized food and beverage businesses in our region, according to Jason Robinson, Business Development Director of the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), a Minnesota nonprofit that works with growers and food innovators to advance agriculture.
“The shared kitchen sector is, in some sense, a public service that caters to the needs of the local community,” explains Jason. “Whether that need is geared towards serving a specific ethnic group, whether it’s meant to be affordable kitchen access for startup food business, or for scaling businesses that need more
warehouse and fulfillment space.”
Finding the right shared-use kitchen is a perennial challenge faced by growing food businesses. These arrangements often lead to thorny questions around timing, geography, cost, and atmosphere. They are also not a magic wand for all regulations surrounding food production. An inspected commercial kitchen doesn’t mean you can legally make food in it for sale. The maker and the inspector work together, with the maker ultimately bearing responsibility for meeting all legal requirements. Luckily, Chika found the fit she needed at MSP Kitchenery.
“I’m really happy with where I ended up,” says Chika. The company has three locations—St. Paul, Hopkins and
Plymouth. “When I was looking, it felt like there weren’t many choices that were truly available and convenient to where I live. It’s especially nice to be in a space where I meet other producers. We support each other and share information about opportunities for our community.”
Finding such a nice fit at MSP Kitchenery might be because the owners, Nikkolette and John Krumheuer, bring a unique perspective to their management. Nikkolette worked in shared-use commercial kitchens as she established her own food business, Nikkolette's Macarons. When she decided to open MSP Kitchenery, she wanted to create a functional space where entrepreneurs could book the time they needed, feel safe and have access to top notch industrial
equipment—from mixers to sheet pans, ovens to cold storage.
“It’s such fun to create a space where makers can support each other,” says Nikkolette. “We’ve worked to create a lively space where everyone has their own dedicated zone.”
The organization has a zero tolerance for disrespect for others and looks for ways to support the entrepreneurs, including a retail store featuring products from makers who use the space. “We don’t say ‘no,’” says John. “We work with our businesses to help them scale. Our greatest success is when one of our businesses moves out into their own solo space. That’s what we want to make possible.”
Outside the Box
Formal commercial kitchens with rented space aren't the only option for small producers. Melissa Driscoll of Seven Songs Organic Farm found her solution at a local VFW.
“For entrepreneurs in smaller towns, the VFW is a good option to start and test whether your food business is something you really want to do,” says Melissa, who only requires four days of commercial kitchen space per year to produce 1500 jars of her unique garlic scape pesto, the ingredients for which come fresh from her farm’s scape harvest. “This is a good fit for us. It’s only five miles away. Our rent supports the VFW, and I’m able to work around the VFW’s programming.”
“The
— Deeann Lufkin, Cofounder, CannonBelles
“As
— Luke Snider, Director of Operations, Hoyo SBC
Melissa noted, another perk of the VFW shared-use kitchen is the reasonable rent: $50 per day. Most kitchens operate on an hourly rate, sometimes with surcharges for specific equipment. Keeping rates affordable for start-ups while providing sufficient income to cover the kitchen owners' costs is a delicate balancing act, but when done right can benefit all.
Other options include nonprofit spaces like FEED Kitchens in Madison, Wisc. It's owned by the Madison Northside Planning Council, a nonprofit with community development at the heart of its mission. FEED opened in 2013 to create incubator space for startup food and beverage businesses. The kitchen offers below-market rates and active management support for people who wouldn’t normally have access to the resources they offer.
“We have 89 members and are currently at capacity for food carts and caterers," shares Chris Brockel, FEED’s Director of Food Systems. "We’re at 99% capacity for cold storage. Every day is a delicate balance of chaos and income.”
FEED's wholesale bakery and training program is popular and helps balance the books each year, but revenue stream is a constant constraint for maintaining the space and expanding programs, even with consistent government and grant funding.
Of FEED's 89 member-businesses, 70% identify as people of color and 55% are owned or co-owned by women. “We know those aren’t the only measures of success, but we feel good about those numbers as a way to bring social and economic change to the community,” says Chris.
Thony (pronounced ‘Tony’) Clarke of Mango Man Cooks! in Madison, Wisc. moved from his own restaurant kitchen to FEED in 2014 to focus on his food cart, catering and wholesale bottled salsas. “Moving to the shared-use kitchen was hard. Sometimes I reserve the kitchen and cook at 3am. I like to be alone, to be able to sing as I make my salsas and not bother anyone. I feel safe being there in the middle of the night, but that doesn’t work for everyone.”
Thony also serves as an unofficial kitchen ambassador, helping newcomers settle into the community. “I try to help them by sharing my experiences. I try to light a spark and bring good energy to a space that we all need.”
Local food makers at work in their shared-use kitchens. Pictured clockwise: The Bee Shed, Num Nuts, Mango Man Cooks, and Seven Songs Farm.
Challenges
Shared-use kitchen space and the makers who seek to use them face significant obstacles, according to a 2023 report by AURI. Challenges include inadequate information about available spaces and how to access them, high rent and utilities, financial risk for kitchen owners, and confusion about who can–and must–use shared spaces.
After repeated requests for a hot honey, The Bee Shed, Rochester, Minn., began using a shared-use commercial kitchen to produce it. The kitchen (Hammond Public House) is 20 miles from their base of operation, which isn't ideal, but the space is a good, flexible option that has enabled them to expand their offerings.
Long-term solutions offered by AURI include seeking underutilized spaces and exploring how to transform them into food-safe commercial production kitchens in lieu of new construction. For more, visit auri.org.
Shared-use commercial kitchens play a critical role in supporting area food and beverage producers. Without them, many makers simply cannot enter grocery stores or other retail markets. Meanwhile, investment in this type of infrastructure
has the potential to expand economic vitality in our region—truly local dollars at work. Finding the right shared-use kitchen not only makes a difference in the maker’s success, it brings more delicious, local food to our tables.
–Michelle M. Sharp is the founder and content creator of Meet the Minnesota Makers, a news site connecting local food advocates, farms, and artisans who make Minnesota thrive. meettheminnesotamakers.com
AGROFORESTRY
Farming with Trees
By Marlene Petersen and Jan Joannides
Towering oaks, prairie grasses and sapling spruces line the blueberry fields at Blue Fruit Farm in Winona, Minn. To the untrained eye, it's just a pleasing landscape filled with color and texture. But this intentional integration of trees with crops—known as agroforestry— is so much more. It provides a host of environmental and economic benefits, as well as a source of incredible local foods.
So how does it work? The spruce and crabapple trees shelter the blueberry crop from wind, snow, and dust, an agroforestry technique commonly referred to as windbreaks or shelterbelts. They also offer wildlife habitat that wouldn't be nearly as robust if the blueberries grew alone in the field. And, in this farm's unique case, the trees provide a humane form of pest control.
"The crabapples work as a trap crop to keep the birds away from the blueberries," says Ben McAvoy, who co-owns Blue Fruit Farm with his wife, Natalie. "The birds are distracted by that fruit and don't go after the blueberries or get tangled in the nets as they would without the trap crop."
New term, old practice
While the term 'agroforestry' is relatively new, the practices aren't. Indigenous people in the Americas and worldwide have used techniques to grow crops and graze livestock among trees for millennia, gaining multiple benefits in food production, ecology and animal welfare.
"Agroforestry puts trees to work to make farms more productive, diverse and climate-resilient," says Dr. Keefe Keeley, executive director of the Savanna Institute, a rapidly growing agroforestry research and education
nonprofit serving the Upper Midwest. It's working to expand agroforestry across the U.S. to foster ecological resilience, climate stability, economic prosperity and vibrant communities.
"By growing trees amid row crops, we can increase crop yields, improve soil health and add wildlife habitat corridors to local landscapes," advises Keefe. "Trees in managed grazing [silvopasture] can improve livestock performance and welfare by providing shelter in extreme heat and cold. Regardless of the production system, adding trees to the landscape is an effective way to
sequester carbon in branches, trunks, and roots, while also enhancing soil carbon accumulation. In fact, growing trees generally removes several fold more carbon per acre than farming practices that store carbon in soils alone."
Agroforestry combines perennial trees and shrubs with plant crops and animals in a variety of methods.
Luckily, agroforestry isn't a set menu but an à la carte array of options that can be implemented to suit a farm's needs and capacity. Across the Upper Midwest, farmers are integrating one or
Illustrations Courtesy of the Savanna Institute
Oglala Lakota Chef Sean Sherman, founder of The Sioux Chef, is decolonizing our food system. From growing up on Pine Ridge to an epiphany on a beach in Mexico, Chef Sean Sherman shares his journey of discovering, reviving and reimagining Native cuisine.
Five Primary Agroforestry Practices
more of these systems in their own ways to help save the planet and produce more local food sustainably.
Iowa
In Wapello, Iowa, Tom Wahl and Kathy Dice, owners of Red Fern Farm, run a diversified fruit and nut farm with over 80 tree species. Their flock of hair sheep graze among chestnuts, Asian pear, honeyberries and other trees, eating fruit and nuts left over from the You-pick season—an example of silvopasture.
Red Fern Farm's efficient use of fruit and nut-bearing trees provides shade and shelter to their livestock, sequesters carbon, and improves soil health while producing local food in the same space. Their nutritionally dense crops, like hazelnuts and persimmon, add flavor to the region and diversify the farm's production.
Illustrations Courtesy of the Savanna Institute
Minnesota
West of Northfield, Minn., the verdant fields and forests of Salvatierra Farms is a regenerative poultry demonstration and training farm, providing a jungle-like habitat for 13,500 chickens annually amidst prairie grasses, sunflowers and 8200 new hazelnut bushes.
“To us regenerative agriculture means returning the chickens back to their natural jungle-like environment and restoring that environment in the process,” says Reginaldo HaslettMarroquín, the farm's owner and CEO of Tree-Range® Farms.
His approach integrates Minnesota's ecosystem with what he learned on his family farm in Guatemala: chickens thrive in multi-story jungles.
“We follow the Indigenous understanding of regenerative ways of living and focus on key practices that lead to that outcome: an understory of hazelnuts and elderberries, an
overstory of oaks, maples, basswood, and a ground level covered with forages (ground level plants and sprouted grains) that provide food for the poultry. This is a circle of production rather than a line, where every living thing is valued, and people can consume the chicken knowing that their meat comes from a sustainable system.”
Salvatierra is also part of a collective of regenerative poultry farms, publicly branded as Tree-Range® Farms, which sells poultry raised in a sustainable system called the Poultry Centered Regenerative Agroforestry System.
Wisconsin
In the rolling hills of Wisconsin, the Savanna Institute's Spring Green Campus is a set of four demonstration farms where rows of chestnut trees, hazelnut bushes, elderberries and black currants all feed the land and deep, perennial roots protect the watershed that feeds into the nearby Wisconsin
River. It's a show and tell of agroforestry practices and a haven of research, education, outreach, technical service, and product commercialization efforts for farmers and landowners.
"Our demonstration farms and technical assistance programs offer guidance to farmers who want to add trees to their land in agroforestry systems," says Renee Gasch, assistant director of communications of the Wisconsin- and Illinois-based nonprofit. "We provide one-on-one support to guide them through the process of planning, funding and planting trees on their farms."
The Savanna Institute also offers a Water Quality Program, which researches the effects tree crops have on local watersheds and has outreach specialists who establish demonstration farms across the Upper Midwest so people can learn more about tree-crop systems.
While the rewards are significant, agroforestry is not without its hurdles.
Interested in learning about technical and financial assistance opportunities to support healthier ecosystems on your land?
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service can help!
NRCS serves a diverse range of agriculture, from large to small-scale operations, conventional to organic farming, and rural to urban settings.
Assistance for conservation practices includes (but not limited to):
• Weed & pest management
• Irrigation
• Cover crops
• High tunnels
• Pollinator habitat
• Composting facilities
Find out more about NRCS in your state at: nrcs.usda.gov/wi nrcs.usda.gov/mn nrcs.usda.gov/ia
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Time to establish, high initial investment, perceived loss of flexibility, and the need for technical assistance and additional knowledge can be barriers to implementation.
Trees and shrubs take multiple years to produce a crop and are more costly from the outset, unlike annual crops. These increased cash outlays and delays require special, patient planning and management of financial resources.
"Because these diverse, perennial systems are more complex, farmers need better support—both financial and technical— to successfully integrate trees into their crop and livestock systems," says Keefe.
But there are still lots of minds to change. Agroforestry currently represents less than 2% of U.S. agriculture, according to the Nature Conservancy (TNC), a national conservation nonprofit.
TNC, along with the Savanna Institute and other partners, recently began a project to create 30,000 acres of new agroforestry plantings over the next five years. They hope it will be another step towards catalyzing agroforestry practices on tens of millions of acres of U.S. farmlands.
So, what can you do—if you’re not a farmer, a nonprofit, or a policy maker? Learn more about agroforestry at savannainstitute.org, regenagalliance.
org, agroforestrycoalition.org.
Buy products grown in these systems: fruit at Blue Fruit Farm; fruit and nuts at Red Fern Farm; and Tree Range chicken. To find more farms (listed by state) with agroforestry in action, check out savannainstitute.org/farms.
Attend the FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, Rochester, Minn., Nov 2 (see p. 20 for more). Meet several of the farms mentioned above, as well as other producers using ingredients grown in agroforestry systems like hazelnuts, oil and flour from the American Hazelnut Company and elderberry syrups from Midwest Elderberry Cooperative and Sailor Mercy (made with elderberries grown at Blue Fruit Farm.)
By exploring what you buy and where it’s grown, you'll discover a world of unique, local foods. You may also become the lifeline for farmers working to improve the planet for all of us.
—Marlene Petersen is the editor and a co-creator of Local FEAST! magazine and founder of theroamingeditor.com.
—Jan Joannides is the executive director of Renewing the Countryside.
The Next Steward
Farm Succession and the
Future
of Food
By Bonnie Warndahl
When Maggie McQuown and Steve Turman turned 70, they realized they were really tired. After a decade of running Maggie’s family farm in Red Oak, Iowa, they needed help…younger help. So, they began the complicated and heart wrenching process many farmers face when they seek to retire: the transition of beloved land, a lifelong legacy, an active agribusiness—and often a residence—to a new steward.
The process had started as a distant and undefined idea several years earlier when Maggie and Steve participated in the Legacy Letter Project developed by the Practical Farmers of Iowa, a nonprofit based in Ames. The project, later a book called The Future of Family Farms: Practical Farmers’ Legacy Letter Project, edited by Teresa Opheim, helped farmers and farmland owners think about their farm’s future and talk about it with their families.
“Writing our legacy letter made me realize the next generation to care for my farmland would not be a 5th generation Taylor-McQuown family member,” recalls Maggie. “So, we started searching for a young, beginning farm family who shared our vision and values.”
After two unsuccessful trials with other beginning farmers, Maggie and Steve received a referral through a mutual friend to Matt and Jocelyn Vermeersch, a young
couple with a livestock business near Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Vermeersch family had struggled to grow their business when land in their area soared to $20,000 per acre.
“We immediately recognized that Matt and Jocelyn had formulated their vision, mission and had well-defined values,” Maggie recalls. “We immediately saw great potential and felt a connection. However, we knew to not rely on initial emotions, so we focused on an objective vetting process and tried to let the relationship develop gradually.”
The transition, now entering its second year, will take until at least 2025 to complete. Even then, there will be a lifelong connection since Maggie and Steve will be living on part of the farm as long as they are able or until they pass.
The Value of Starting Early
Many retiring farmers face these same challenges: finding the next stewards of the land, ensuring the continuation of their legacy, and figuring out how they will maintain their quality of life postfarming. Due to perpetually reinvesting in the farm, some exiting farmers have little saved for retirement and must rely on the sale of their farm and equipment to sustain them through their next chapter. These transactions are further complicated when the exiting farmers wish to remain on the property during the transition or after a sale, as Maggie and Steve are.
Transitions are also lengthy endeavors— some taking years, others decades. Even beginning to think about them is difficult. So, planning is frequently put off until the situation becomes desperate (or it’s too late).
“Most farmers we know never really retire until they pass away,” says Maggie. “I would advise other farmers to begin planning for their farm transition while they are in their 50’s and 60’s. Life is fragile; a person’s situation can change overnight. The more-organized, welldefined, and shared with heirs in advance, the better.”
A delay in or lack of planning, coupled with exorbitant real estate prices, can result in an undesirable option to the retiree: sale to an investor, developer, or a large commodity farm rather than an up-and-coming, sustainable farmer. And that’s not good for farmers…or consumers, especially when one considers that 65% of all farmers are over the age of 55 and only 9% are under 35. It begs the question retiring farmers are already asking: Who will steward the land—and grow my food—when I’m gone?
Methods of Transfer
There are various methods of farm transfer, outside of a traditional sale. Some farmers use a form of owner financing such as a land contract or contract for deed. Others put their land or business into an LLC, with the new farmer buying shares over time. In many cases with livestock, the new farmer can gain ownership of the herd or flock through sweat equity and purchase the land and/or business through other means of financing.
Another option is an agricultural conservation easement (ACE), a deed restriction that removes the nonagricultural development potential from a farm, ensuring that the land remains available for agricultural use. The removal of development potential not only protects the land for farming, it can also make the
land more affordable for future farmers. Public funding is sometimes available to compensate landowners, at least in part, for the sale of their development rights. Landowners who choose to donate an ACE may also qualify for a federal tax deduction. ACEs are innovative tools but can be complicated, lengthy transactions. For more details, read “Buy. Protect. Sell: Saving American Farmland” in Volume Five of Local FEAST! p.11, local-feast. org/magazine#v5.
Opportunities also exist to donate land. The Acres for Good: Farmland Succession Program provides an avenue for farm families in 20 counties in Southern Minnesota to donate all or part of their land as a charitable gift. The innovative program is administered by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a development and philanthropic nonprofit
that fosters economic and community vitality in Southern Minnesota.
Landowners can donate land to SMIF in three ways: 1. Gift the property during their lifetimes; 2. Bequeath it via a will provision; 3. Retain a life estate, which grants the donors the right to farm the land until they die, after which point it transfers to SMIF. Once the gift is complete, SMIF retains ownership of the land, cares for it, leases it to local farmers, and invests the rental income back into the local community.
“The program allows retiring farmers the peace of mind that their land will continue to be farmed, especially if they do not have an heir to transfer the land to when the time comes,” says Tim Penny, President and CEO of SMIF. For more details, visit smifoundation.org/ acresforgood.
How can we help your community grow?
Since 1986, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation has been investing in the innovative people of its 20-county region in Entrepreneurship, Early Childhood and Community Vitality. Tell us how we can help your community, business or idea grow. 507.455.3215 | smifoundation.org
Succession and Land Transfer Resources
Many resources exist to help landowners and retiring farmers identify and overcome challenges as they think through the next steps. Check out these national and regional sources to get started.
American Farmland Trust: free, downloadable reports and guides on land transfers (listed by state) by a national nonprofit with a long track record of working with farmers and landowners to keep farmers on the land. farmlandinfo.org/transfer-your-farm-or-ranch
International Farm Transition Network: a database of Certified Farm Succession Coordinators by state. farmtransition.org/coordinators
Land Stewardship Project: offering toolkits, resources and case studies to help the retiring farmer. landstewardshipproject.org/retiring-farmers-landowners
Renewing the Countryside: has extensive experience in land access issues with Farmland Access Navigators who work with retiring and beginning farmers. renewingthecountryside.org
The University of Wisconsin Division of Extension: an interactive program and corresponding workbook, Cultivating Your Farm’s Future, which provides tools and resources. farms.extension.wisc.edu
Land for Good: online resources, including a free downloadable workbook, Farm Succession Planning: Where Do I Start? landforgood.org/wp-content/uploads/ LFG-Farm-Succession-Planning-Where-Do-I-StartWorkbook.pdf
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Ag Decision Maker: downloadable PDFs and videos with a variety of useful topics from “Constructing a Farm Succession Plan” to “Iowa Inheritance Tax.” extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wdbusiness.html
Practical Farmers of Iowa: a nonprofit with a wealth of resources, including the Find A Farmer program (connecting landowners & seekers to help preserve family farms) findafarmer.net, and online worksheets and slides from past presentations on farm transfers practicalfarmers.org/programs/farm-transfer
Transitioning a farm to new stewards can be complicated and emotional but is well worth it when the landowners and farmers see that their land will be nurtured long after they are gone.
“The farm transition plan was a huge step,” says Maggie, “but we want this land cared for and in the hands of someone who values the heritage, sees value in an old farmstead, and will really take time to live on the land, smell the roses, play in the creek, love the animals, and provide real food for people.”
—Bonnie Warndahl is a Farmland Access Navigator and Farmland Access Specialist with Renewing the Countryside. A farmer herself, she struggled for years to secure land tenure before finding her fit through a short-term land contract.
Case Story
Meadowlark Organics Ridgeway, Wisc.
When Paul Bickford, Ridgeway, Wisc., needed a successor, he took out a Craigslist ad for “a forward-thinking individual or couple to join my 950-acre organic farming operation,” specifying that “ethics and trust are a cornerstone of organic farming and are important to my operation.” He found Halee and John Wepking. The transition led to years of friendship, guidance and the establishment of Meadowlark Organics before Paul passed away in 2022.
Learn more about the transfer at practicalfarmers. org/2019/03/the-beginnings-of-a-farm-transfer.
Homegrown Minnesolar
Local solar installation brings community together
By Bailey Peterson-Webster, Senior Community Engagement Specialist
In June 2024, Minnesota-based National Grid Renewables hosted a community event celebrating two new solar projects in Southern Minnesota. The occasion brought together community members, landowners, local food businesses, customers, partners, and local officials to learn more about the company, the projects, and the impact of solar energy on rural communities. Featuring a pop-up farmers market, the event served as an opportunity to pay homage to the important role farmers also play in these communities, as well as a tribute to the farmer-friendly and communityfocused values that have been key to their success.
“We’re incredibly proud of our farmer-founded roots that began right here in Minnesota,” said Blake Nixon, president of National Grid Renewables. “As a Minnesotaheadquartered company, the Fillmore County and Louise Solar projects represent our deep commitment to boosting economic vitality throughout rural America in the form of new investment driving economic growth, tax revenue, jobs, and charitable funding.”
That charitable support was on full display as National Grid Renewables announced its pledge of $380,000 in funding through the Fillmore and Louise projects. The projected contributions will be divided between two education funds supporting school districts located near the solar projects: Southland and LeRoy-Ostrander.
Attendees were able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Louise Solar project to see first-hand how a solar farm is built, and the farmers’ market showcased nine Southeast Minnesota farmers and vendors: Squash Blossom Farm (Oronoco), Leafy Legacy Family Farm (Lanesboro), Seven Songs Organic Farm (Kenyon), CannonBelles Cheese (Cannon Falls), Carlson Roasting (Houston), The Bee Shed (Rochester), Simple Soaps for Simple Folks (Rochester), Joe Mama BBQ Sauce and Seasons (Northfield), and Schmidt Farm (Preston). Market products included jams, honey, soaps, sauces and other delicious items.
“Including a farmers’ market at the event was a great way to allow attendees to try and buy some of the region’s best local products,” says Joe Riley, co-owner of Joe Mama’ BBQ Sauce and Seasons. He and his wife, Kathy, produce a wide range of locally-made spices and sauces in Northfield, Minnesota. Their business was one of the nine vendors at the pop-up market. “We enjoyed being invited and that the event supported our work.”
Known as Fillmore and Louise, the 50 megawatt (MW) Louise Solar Project, located in Mower County, and the 45 MW Fillmore County Solar Project, located in Fillmore County, will generate enough clean, homegrown energy over the lifecycle of both projects to provide the equivalent electrical usage of an estimated 494,000 homes a year. Additionally, the projects are estimated to offset carbon dioxide emissions annually by a combined 2.4 million metric tons during the first 20 years of operation.
Both projects utilize First Solar Series 6+ Bifacial modules, and are being built by Berry Construction, a local company employing 300 workers to bring the projects to fruition. Together, Fillmore and Louise will contribute more than $30 million in direct economic impact over the first 20 years of operation, including over $4 million in new tax revenue to be distributed to local townships and counties.
To learn more about National Grid Renewables and how they are working to support communities throughout rural America, visit www.nationalgridrenewables.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.
“We’re incredibly proud of our farmer-founded roots that began right here in Minnesota.”
- Blake Nixon, president of National Grid Renewables
COUNTY SOLAR
Visit: www.nationalgridrenewables.com
Attendees were able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Louise Solar project to see first-hand how a solar farm is built, and the farmers’ market showcased nine Southeast Minnesota farmers and vendors.
HOT OFF THE PASS a visit with 3 local chefs
Gustavo & Kate Romero
Co-owners & Chefs
Nixta Tortillas & Oro by Nixta Minneapolis, MN nixtampls.com
Maize-ologist. Corn Evangelist. We’re part of a movement of chefs preserving heirloom corn from Mexico. We’re also part of a project with the USDA studying Mexican heirloom corn seed adaptation in the US. Corn is our culture, the beginning of our civilization. If we lose it, we will lose what we have and who we are. We want our work to show people the importance of that.
Why heirloom corn?
It’s part of our responsibility to use the best we can find. Our tortilla fills you up. It isn’t the side show, it is the show.
Local sourcing?
We use three different companies that import our heirloom corn from Mexico. In the States, very few farmers grow it. We work with Sean Sherman [Owamni, Minneapolis] and Rodrigo Calla, a Wisconsin farmer who grows some. We bought all Rodrigo had, but it wasn’t enough. We’ve been talking with him about growing more. We also buy local produce, beef, pork and duck from Black Radish Farm, California Street Farm, Cheeky Harvest, Peterson Craft Meats and Untieds. Working with local farmers allows them to produce more, and, for us, there’s beauty in the product before there is a process.
Nixta?
Short for nixtamalization, the process of soaking the corn in highly alkalized water to remove the outer hull. It increases the levels of potassium, calcium and niacin and makes the corn more digestible. The work is very laborious. One batch of tortillas takes two days to make: one day to cook and soak and the next to grind the corn and make the tortillas. We prep tortillas five or six days a week and can make 3000 a day.
Best New Restaurant finalist, James Beard Award (the Oscars of the Culinary Arts)
The accolades are nice. They extend our outreach. We hope this means getting our tortillas in more hands. We come to work every day, like we did before. The good thing is we get many people walking through the door. We’re very grateful for everything.
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Carina Cavagnaro Chef, Owner
La Rana Bistro
Decorah, IA laranadecorah.com
The Road to La Rana I was raised by a family of amazing cooks and avid gardeners, so I’ve been cooking since I could reach the stove. My mother, Joanie Sheahan, and stepfather, Mark Smeby, opened La Rana Bistro in 2002. I served for them from the outset, so I’ve seen the restaurant evolve since its inception. I knew then that I ultimately wanted to work with food, so I continued to develop my passion for the culinary industry with several service jobs through college.
My first professional cooking experience came as a private caterer in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I worked in several industry positions in both California and Colorado before moving back home to Decorah in 2018, when I returned to the family business as head chef of La Rana. I revamped the menu, revitalized the ingredient list, and emphasized local growers and producers. I purchased the Bistro in July of 2023; I can’t thank my family enough for that legacy.
How often do you change the menu? Seasonally, often several times each season to celebrate the ever-evolving availability of produce in the area. It’s important to honor what the land and climate are giving us and to create culinary experiences that foster a relationship between diners and their food.
Sourcing?
The concept of my restaurant is to feature local ingredients, to curate menus of the best quality that reflect a responsibility for the environment and appreciation for the community. Many of our ingredients come from farms here in Decorah. Patchwork Green Farm, Rolling Hills, River Root Farm, Sweet Season Farm, Humble Hands Harvest, Canoe Creek Produce, and Rock Cedar Ranch are some of our biggest suppliers. Through the Iowa Food Hub, we get a broader range of products, but none beyond a radius of 150 miles.
Most Popular Dish?
The lamb meatballs with herbed yogurt, spiced carrots, tomato chutney, pickled radish, and radish microgreens. Practically every ingredient on the plate is local. The dish is so light, flavorful, and wellbalanced. All the plates come back clean!
Farm to School IN MINNESOTA
Farm to School programs increase student access to fresh, locally produced foods while supporting small and emerging farmers and contributing to the local economy.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is committed to the continued growth of Farm to School programs across the state by offering annual grant funding opportunities, developing educational resources for students and educators, and connecting interested farmers and schools.
Learn more about the MDA’s Farm to School resources by scanning the QR code or visiting www.mda.state.mn.us/farm-school.
Thi Cao Owner & Chef
Wild Roots
West Allis, WI wildrootsmke.com
Cartoons, Cooking & Culinary School
Two things drew my attention as a kid: cartoons and cooking shows. I went to UW Milwaukee, got a degree in computer science and worked in IT for 5 years, but it didn’t speak to me. When I had a bad day, I always went out to eat. I would sit near the kitchen and watch the dance that went on in there—the seriousness, the focus. So I left IT, went to cooking school and never looked back.
Early Influences?
My mom. My culinary tastes, styles and the intuitiveness of cooking, I got from her. She would make something out of nothing. We had a garden outside our house. She cooked as much as she could from it, which taught me to appreciate how things grew.
Seed to table?
We work with about four local farms, including Farm Happy and Jerry’s Produce. Both have their own specialties but also grow root vegetables. We also peruse the farmers’ market before we open for service, see what they have and make a special that night from it. My goal
is to have just one degree of separation between what’s on the plate and what came out of the field.
Wild Roots?
I like to utilize wild edibles—morels, ramps, wild garlic, wild, onion, wild asparagus, boar, venison. My menu derives from my tastes, not just being an Asian American. So we’ll do Bulgogi meatballs with kimchi, right next to housemade pasta and gnocchi and oxtail, fish livers and ramps.
Nasty Bits?
We take the unpopular parts—kidney, heart, fish heads—and make small bites from them so nothing goes to waste. They’re always on the menu but the ingredients change. People call in and ask if we have Nasty Bits. It makes me giggle, but it makes me happy. I don’t want to make the same prime rib everyone else is doing. I quit my career in IT because I wanted to do something different. If I wanted easy, I would have stuck with IT.
Come & Get It ! Food Fun on the Farm
By Marlene Petersen & Lisa Kivirist
For more and more local-food fans, “on-farm” is the place to be. Part of a growing agritourism trend, these events offer a wealth of experiences from field days to gourmet meals, pop-up markets, live music and plays. One initiative, Come & Get It, steers rural communities through the complex process of hosting on-farm events.
Spearheaded by Renewing the Countryside, Come & Get It has had multiple iterations developed in partnership with organizations including the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Farm Commons, the Sustainable Farming Association and Minnesota Farmers Union.
In 2018, seven farms—four from Wisconsin and three from Minnesota— collaboratively shared their experiences hosting on-farm meals. The program resulted in a publication that continues to help farms navigate issues like food safety. It also led to more community interest in buying directly from farmers.
“While a surge in consumer interest for on-farm experiences or agritourism has created a potential economic opportunity for small family farms, the specific training and resource support necessary for them to get into it did not exist. Growing a tomato is not the same skill set as legally and safely making a BLT sandwich,” quips Brett Olson, Creative Director at Renewing the Countryside. “This resource we co-created empowers farmers to smartly navigate the regulations and expenses to host an event in a way that increases their bottom line. It's a win-win for everyone: farms financially thrive and the public personally connects with where their food is grown.”
The program expanded in 2023 and 2024 with nine communities from Duluth to Mankato hosting their own unique on-farm events, including festivals with 50+ local food vendors, music, dancing, theater, and of course…food! In 2023 alone, 2,000+ attendees flocked to rural spaces, generating thousands of dollars in local-food purchases.
Despite summer waning, there's still lots of Come & Get It! fun to be had. Check out these unique experiences across Minnesota.
Learn more at onfarmfoodevents.org.
Clover Valley Farm Fest Sun, Aug 25 | Two Harbors, Minn. Local food producers, artisans, live music, children's activities, and more!
Butcher's Dinner & Barn Dance Sat, Sep 07 | Finlayson, Minn. Tour, Market, Dinner & Dance!
Our Local Plate Farm Fest & Market Sat, Sep 14 | Moorhead, Minn. Farmers market, chef demos & savory meal
Deep Roots Festival Sat, Sep 14 | Frazee, Minn. Farmers market, farm tours, kids activities, live music, and more
Harvest Star Fri, Sep 20 | New London-Spicer, Minn. Farmers, vendors, theater, food and music!
Meet Your Makers Sun, Sep 29 | Dundas, Minn. Farmer, Food and Beverage Market
Agritourism Tips
Check Times & Tickets
Most farms only offer events on certain days and may require advance reservations and tickets. Double check and adhere to those dates and times.
Think Slow Food
Keep in mind, farms aren't full-time, full-service restaurants. Many factors can cause unexpected delays. Consider the wait a bonus and stroll around the farm. Relax and enjoy the uniqueness of the experience.
Respect Farm Rules
Follow posted rules, and don’t wander into closed areas like barns and pens. Keep children a safe distance from all animals, especially curious goats.
Dress Appropriately
Most on-farm events happen outside. Wear appropriate shoes and bring sun and bug protection; shade is often scarce.
Last Call
Make Mine a Mocktail!
By Kelli Boylen
Step aside
Shirley Temple. There's
a
new drink in town.
Thanks to tonic maker Leah Treleven, zero-proof concoctions can be so flavorful and complex you won't even miss the alcohol.
“I really enjoy creating and drinking diverse, delicious things!” says Leah, owner of Sweet Haven Tonics, who invents scratch-made tonics from local ingredients in New Ulm, Minn. “When someone sits down with another person to enjoy something sippable, it creates a connection. It’s a great exploratory experience."
Leah's journey began when she was teaching middle-school language arts and a friend gave her a tasty shrub. Not the woody kind, but the drinking vinegar with bright, bold flavors. She enjoyed the shrub's vibrant freshness but sought something more balanced for her at-home creations. So she learned all she could from expert mixologists and experimented with simple syrups and reductions, using local fruits, herbs and botanicals.
The results were tantalizing–and wildly popular. Within months, Leah left teaching and opened Sweet Haven Tonics. Four years later, the business already has its own production and retail space plus a cocktail lounge with local nibbles in downtown New Ulm.
But the mission to source locally remains a cornerstone. "I wanted my tonics to be 100 percent from scratch with local ingredients whenever possible, not from purees and extracts, but from actual fresh ingredients," she says, citing her Apple Thyme and Cardamom brew as an example.
With apples sourced from nearby A-Peeling Acres Orchard and thyme grown at Under the Sun Herbs, this tonic (one of 11 she brews) is sweet, yet tart, with savory herbal notes, a hint of nuttiness, and a dash of support for area farmers. "When the
unique flavors are basically coming from our backyard, they taste better and make you feel good in many ways," she says, noting that her demand for thyme alone has resulted in Under the Sun planting more and using greenhouse tunnels. "I'm so glad my business growth helps them grow, too."
Harvest Spritz
1 oz Sweet Haven Apple Thyme Cardamom Tonic
5 oz soda water
Cinnamon stick, garnish
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Sweet Haven Tonic. Top with soda water and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. To create a hot version, replace the soda water with 5 oz of hot water.
Create additional variations from Sweet Haven Tonics by adding seltzer, hot water (for tea), alcohol or other bases you dream up! They're also great in marinades or salad dressings. Learn more at www.sweethaventonics.com.
—Kelli Boylen is a freelance writer who lives in the Driftless Region of Iowa.
DEFINED
At Compeer Financial, we’re defined by you — your hopes for the future as well as your needs today. As a local member-owned cooperative, our clients help shape the direction we go and how we serve them. And as agriculture and rural America continues to evolve, so will we, together. So whether you need an experienced lender or a trusted advisor you can count on, we’re ready.
Lending Specialist (608) 963-7763 Paul.Dietmann@compeer.com
