We are extremely proud to work with many dedicated small-scale farmers in Maine and in Belize.  We love to hear their stories and we feel it only natural to introduce you to them, too.  We will be updating this page with many more farmer profiles soon so please check back!

 

LEFT: Snakeroot Organic Farm is a MOFGA certified organic farm in Pittsfield, Maine with five acres of gardens producing mixed vegetables, fruits, perennials and herbs, and a 2,700 sq. foot greenhouse where they grow seedlings and planting and for sale at Farmers' Markets. Tom  and Lois have been farming together since 1990, and have over 40 years combined experience growing organically in Maine. They grow parsley and sage for Barkwheats.

 

 

LEFT: Lydia & Tim own the beautiful and peaceful Moon Hill Farm in Whiting, Maine.  On their working farm, they build traditional timberframe buildings using hand tools, grow vegetables and raise animals including farm horses, dairy goats, laying hens and guard dogs.  In addition, they produce 8 aces of the sweetest wild Maine blueberries in the state and we are excited to use their fruit in our Blueberry & Lavender flavored biscuit.

 

 

 

LEFT: The Long Pie pumpkin variety was near extinction until the seed saving and preservation efforts of several people over the last several decades. Two of those people are Winnie & Peter of Two In The Bush Farm in Thorndike, Maine. They are now widely available since Winnie & Peter began growing the Long Pie pumpkins for the Maine-based FEDCO Seed Catalog. Since our introduction of the Pumpkin & Sage flavored biscuit, they now have additional income from the pumpkin flesh in addition to the seeds they sell to FEDCO. You can view pictures of our fun day "schmooshguckin" (scooping the seeds out of the pumpkins) on Flickr. They grew 330 pumpkins this season, which produced 30 lbs of seed and 1,200 lbs of pumpkin flesh for Barkwheats.

 

LEFT: Marianna is the principle farmer on her land in Indian Creek Village, in the Toledo District of Belize, where she lives with her husband Francisco, children and grand-children.  Sustainable Harvest International taught her how to plant organic ginger as a cover crop on the ground floor of her "Chocolate Forest."  In addition to the ginger and cacao, she primarily farms vegetables and fruits as a means to feed her family.  Ginger, in Marianna's native Mayan Kekchi language, is pronounced "shinsheer," and is most commonly used in her culture for medicinal purposes and steeped in hot water as a tea.

LEFT: Gregorio is a farmer from San Jose Village in the Toledo District, Belize, who works with non-profit Sustainable Harvest International to learn organic farming as an alternative to the traditional slash-and-burn techniques widely practiced in Central America.  He has a diverse farm that includes vegetables, a forest of cacao (used to make chocolate) and now, ginger, grown specifically for the Barkwheats "Ginger & Parsley" flavor.  Gregorio is the Chairman of the Green Creek Farmers Coop and a member of the Toledo Cacao Growers Association.  He has two dogs, Snoopy and Rambo, who both love Barkwheats!

 

 

LEFT: Meg, who farms at her newly minted Southpaw Farm in Unity, Maine, originally hails from Georgia.  Farmers and foodies alike get excited to see young farmers like Meg continuing to provide wholesome food for all.  Meg says she wanted to come to Maine because of the diverse crop opportunities and wealth of traditional agriculture knowledge, alongside the beautiful forested landscape.  Meg grows parsley and chamomile for Barkwheats.

 

 

LEFT: Marcia and her husband, Lohman (who will never be caught on camera, unlike the limelight loving Marcia!) work tirelessly to give folks here some amazingly flavored honey.  Every pail we get is different, from blueberry and raspberry blossoms to sumac, goldenrod, and clover/wildflowers, and each comes with a story about how the work that went into harvesting the honey.  Every time Marcia sees a honey bee at the Farmers' Market, she captures it and puts it in her van to bring it on back, figuring it's lost it's way.  Gardiner's Honey in Swanville, Maine has over 120 hives that they maintain for pollination of Maine's wild blueberry and raspberry crops.