March 3, 2021
As we celebrate Women's History Month, we also celebrate the fact that over 40% of the local farms and food producers on Forager are owned or co-owned by women. We'd like to introduce you to a few of them:
Jenny Wooster
Jenny co-owns Picadilly Farm in Winchester NH, with her husband, Bruce. At 72 acres, this farm annually feeds thousands of people through sales of community supported agriculture (CSA) shares and community outreach. In addition to being a successful business woman and caring employer, with her eye on making sure people from across all economic levels have access to the fresh foods Picadilly produces, Wooster also serves on the Winchester Economic Development Corp and supports the growth of community in her hometown.
Julie Lapham
Julie is Founder and CEO of Popzup popcorn, made in Dover, NH. They make natural, simple, non-GMO and gluten-free popcorn in an array of flavors. All of their corn is sourced from growers in Pennsylvania. They also recently introduced a compostable popcorn popper for the microwave.
Caitlin Frame
The Milkhouse Dairy Farm & Creamery
The Milkhouse is a certified organic creamery that was created in the fall of 2012 by Caitlin Frame and Andy Smith. Their goal is for the farm to be a resource for the community, improve soil fertility and forage quality on the land while producing good, healthy food for the people of Maine and beyond. Recently they started to work cooperatively with friends and neighbors down the road at Grace Pond Farm, joining together to make the dream of pie-in-the-sky sustainable family farms attainable!
Amanda Gilman
Looking for a healthy energy snack to get her through busy workdays, and also not aggravate her TMJ (‘temporomandibular joint’ syndrome) the way that energy bars did, Amanda began baking her own energy treats at home. When the colleagues she shared with kept asking for more, she knew she was on to something, and launched AMG snacks to share her energy bites with the world. Amanda was a finalist in the November 2020, Nosh Pitch Slam Vol. 9 for emerging brands.
Amy Rowbottom
Amy was born and raised in a Maine dairy farming family. As an adult, she felt the call of her heritage and returned to Maine and the dairy life to discover a love of, and knack for creating artisinal whole milk cheeses. Her award-winning cheeses are available at her own retail shop as well as farmer's markets, specialty shops and restaurants.
Christine Bukruian
Potager is a woman-owned, family-run, multi-generational company in historic Concord, MA. They have been crafting pure natural plant-based soaps for over 20 years now. After the birth of her granddaughter, Christine took extra steps to make sure all her soaps were certified organic, fair trade, sustainable, vegan and cruelty free.
Penny Jordan
A fourth-generation farmer, Penny, along with her brothers and sisters, own and operate the 60+ acre family farm where they grew up. They also run a busy farm stand and online store that offers their own fresh vegetables as well as products from other Maine producers. Penny has also been instrumental in starting a community alliance to keep farming viable in their southern Maine community.
Ruthie Ellis & Leigh Tillman
Chai Wallahs of Maine started in 2009 after Ruthie and Leigh began serving tea at the Common Ground Fair. They had so many customers ask how they could make their Chai at home, that they realized they had to create packaged kits of spices and black tea for sale. Thus expanding their mission to help others share not only the flavor, but also the experience of pausing to make and enjoy a soothing cup.
Enna Grazier
Enna's interest in making chocolate was sparked while working as a professional photographer on cookbook projects with various chefs in New England. After tasting some of the confections from her kitchen, one chef in particular encouraged her to start a commercial kitchen so he could sell her chocolate at his restaurant, and so Enna Chocolate was born. In addition to retail and restaurant sales, Enna's factory and cafe offer additional ways to experience her chocolate.
Kate Mahaffey
Kate Mahaffey and Nathan Dore have maintained their 8 acres of blueberry fields since 2009 in Pittston, Maine. Kate is always experimenting with new ways of using blueberries, and blueberry fruit leather was a hit with her 2 sons, Joshua and Samuel. Family and friends loved it, too, and Kate loved that it was 100% blueberries, sweet, and healthy! Maine grown apple, cranberry, and peach fruit snacks are currently in development! All products are 100% MOFGA certified organic.
Zoe Geller
Zoe founded Fire Ox to create a more sustainable food system. Her heart's passion is to create good, nourishing food that is better for people and planet. It comes from a love of food and her time at Americorps, learning how to grow food and seeing how the unjust industrial food system is destroying our bodies and our earth.
Klara Sotonova
Klara Sotonova emigrated to the U.S. from the Czech Republic, on her own, at the age of 19. She came with a dream of owning her own business, and she transformed her plan to reality. In 2006, when she founded Klara’s Gourmet Cookies – and it was her dream come true. Klara’s rich baking traditions were passed down from her great-grandmother and grandmother, through the generations, and it is that tradition she now shares with you.
Karen Getz
The love of a good food adventure drives Karen’s story. You could say Maine Crisp has been 25 years in the making, from her first sampling of buckwheat in San Jose’s Japantown, slurping down cold soba noodles, to visiting the expansive buckwheat fields of Maine’s Aroostook County. It’s been a wild ride. Karen, along with her husband Steve and business partner, Michael Ross, was just named Mainebiz's 2021 Entrepreneur Business Leaders of the Year.
We will be adding to our list throughout March, so be sure to check back!
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