Local Food

The founding of America’s only certified Bee-Friendly Farm Distillery began with a homework assignment. Cheri Reese and Mike Swanson, owners of Far North Spirits, were living in St. Paul following careers in marketing and communications. Mike was pursuing an MBA from the University of St. Thomas where his entrepreneurial class project included a business plan for a distillery that grew its own grain.

“Half of our company is about the apples. The other half is about the space,” explains Nick Revoir of Simple Cider Co. “The space will be designed for all generations of a family. It will be a place of wonder, like walking into a children’s museum, where the ceiling and the floors aren’t just a normal design. It will be built as a safe place for the kids to be themselves while adult friends connect, commiserate and support each other.” 

As the baroness of Get Bentz Farm, Theresa uses both wool from her flock and fleece purchased from shepherds throughout the region to create her signature products. “I love that I’ve become a producer of yarn in our industry,” smiles Theresa. “I enjoy having control over the end product. I get to collaborate with others to create something that people use.” 

The Olberdings bought a neglected piece of farmland in Alexandria. Removing the decaying farm equipment and taking care of the land itself allowed them to establish their award-winning garlic crop.

Fiddlehead Knob continues to increase their annual production to better meet demand in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. To continue their quest to do this sustainably, geothermal heating and cooling is part of the farm vision board.

The MTRY & Co’s online marketplace, based in Mankato, offers beef, chicken and pork specialty boxes along with local cheese, spice rubs, and bacon socks that are shipped directly from the producer farms in sustainable packaging.