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Rural Innovation

Meet the Minnesota Makers

@meettheminnesotamakers

meettheminnesotamakers

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michelle@meettheminnesotamakers.com
The garlic lifestyle is the cornerstone of the Olb The garlic lifestyle is the cornerstone of the Olberding Family’s @rusticrootsfarmmn in Alexandria, MN. Featured growers since the 2022 Minnesota Garlic Festival and Best in Show awardees in 2023, their 11 varieties of garlic thrive in farmland the family restored to a fertile landscape. Beginning farmers together, all four family members invest in the best practices to let their specialty crops thrive. Since 2016 they’ve built high tunnels, tapped trees for syrup, planted asparagus, powdered garlic to reduce food waste, established mushroom logs, built a farm stand and created custom spice blends. Julie expresses a sense of wonder about their specialty crops, “I find joy in watching the process of growing evolve from working the soil to planting the seed (or clove) through harvest. Each time, I start with a blank slate. With some careful nurturing, I grow something beautiful that can be enjoyed by many.” Garlic bulbs that are too small for retail become one of four varieties of garlic powder, which have been purchased by foodies and home cooks throughout the US. The family peels and prepares all of their garlic for their powders, which are one hundred percent dehydrated garlic for Gourmet Garlic Powder, Roasted Garlic Powder, Smoked Garlic Powder and a beautifully green Garlic Scape Powder. Rustic Roots Farm is a graduate of the 2024 cohort of the @ruralbusinessinnovationlab . Established in 2022 by @ceda_usa , RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that redefines the narrative of rural decline. Rustic Roots applied to RBIL’s program to improve their business management skills. These were instrumental in helping their small farm scale up its operation. “We wanted to increase our overall revenue so that we as owners would no longer have to finance routine operations,” explains Julie. “We haven’t made an owner’s contribution to the business in several months! As self-taught beginning farmers, this is such an incredible feeling.” Join their newsletter at rusticrootsfarmmn.com for on-farm events and seasonal specials. Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com This is post five of nine in this series! Check back for more local heroes.
Kalvin and Rachel fell in love with local food, an Kalvin and Rachel fell in love with local food, and each other, while attending college at UW-Stevens Point. The thriving local farmers market scene and opportunities to volunteer provided real world inspiration of what smaller producers could do. Rachel and Kalvin purchased Rachel’s grandparents’ farm when they moved back to Minnesota to establish @fiddleheadknob Both originally from LeRoy, a town of approximately 900, coming home offered an opportunity to build their dream life within their community. Both Kalvin and Rachel work full time on the farm, fulfilling a shared dream. “The idea for our farm was to build this around our family,” reflects Kalvin. “We’ve been building our lifestyle around our family and good food, local food. We’re kind of in awe every day that this is what we get to do as a family working together. It’s been hard sometimes, but building this business around our family is a total joy.” “When you cultivate mushrooms inside, it is inherently not sustainable,” explains Kalvin. “You use lots of power. There are all sorts of filters and fans that run in addition to lighting the space.” The economic impact of installing solar changed their farm’s monthly expenses radically. “We used to have $800 electric bills each month. Thanks to our solar installation we now apply those financial resources to grow our business in other ways.” Fiddlehead Knob Farm is a graduate of the 2024 @ruralbusinessinnovationlab . Established in 2022 by Community and Economic Development Associates (@ceda_usa) RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that reverses the narrative of rural decline. RBIL’s support made it possible for their farm to finalize their business plan, secure funding for their grow room expansion, achieve organic certification and increase their sales goals. “If you put in the work with RBIL, your business will be on a path to success. We can’t give them enough praise for all they have done for our business.” Visit fiddleheadknob.com for recipes, farmers market schedules and to place an order. Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com This is post four of nine in this series. Tuesday brings the next local hero!
Let’s Get Local! (And maybe find some pumpkin sp Let’s Get Local! (And maybe find some pumpkin spice?) The fall edition of the Meet the Minnesota Makers “Shop Minnesota” Gift Guide is here! Dozens of local makers have new product listings, retail locations and upcoming fall events in our gift guide. From gourmet honey to luxury candles, hand-carved fishing lures to gluten free treats, canvas laptop bags made from upcycled materials to seasonal greeting cards and prints, small batch vinegars to luscious self care, the gift guide has something for all your special occasions (or maybe just because). Newsletter subscribers—check your email for your exclusive local maker discounts. Supporting local in good taste. Link in bio or visit meettheminnesotamakers.com to browse our current listings. Thanks for spreading the local love!
What happens when two friends—one a shepherd fru What happens when two friends—one a shepherd frustrated by seeing sheared wool treated as a waste product and the other a teacher and librarian concerned by the decimation of the world’s peat bogs, a natural carbon sink—join forces? Meet Elaine Becker and Karen Mayhew, co-founders of @woolletsllc (wool + pellets), two creative problem solvers who converted a waste product into a valued commodity. In its first year in operation, Woollets purchased 18,000 pounds of wool from local farmers. They won the 2024 Wisconsin Innovation Award for Agriculture for their contribution to their regional economy and long-range possibilities. Woollets make it financially-sustainable to raise sheep because they provide a real market for shepherds. Wool provides nutrients and aerates the soil as plants get established. “It brings me joy knowing that we are doing something great for the environment with our product,” shares Elaine. Woollets conducted trials on indoor and outdoor plants comparing their pellets to peat. Their experiment with a cactus is especially striking. In one year’s time, a cactus that had three pellets in its pot grew twice as big as the one without pellets. “Our product is a dream for anyone who tends to forget to water their house plants!” laughs Karen. See the side by side comparison pic! Woollets is a member of the 2025 cohort of the @ruralbusinessinnovationlab. Established in 2022 by @ceda_usa, RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that reverses the narrative of rural decline. Working in MN, IA and WI, RBIL supports rural businesses in their growth to become sustainable drivers of economic health. RBIL provides templates, one-on-one weekly meetings and access to specialists to provide the support that a start up needs. A few months into the program, Elaine and Karen feel confident that, “Applying for RBIL is one of the smartest choices we’ve made for our young business,” states Elaine. Purchase woollets wool pellets at https://www.woollets.net/. Wool mulching fleece and shreds are also available. Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com This is post three of nine in this series. Check back Monday for the next local hero!
The Drager Family is always up for an adventure. The Drager Family is always up for an adventure. Their joy of gathering around good food inspired them to found The Meatery MN, now rebranded as MTRY & Co, LLC, in 2022. The Drager Family is a multi-generational crew operating a livestock and crop farm that calls Minnesota Lake, MN home. Their experience with the meat packer shutdowns and grocery store shortages during the pandemic inspired them to directly connect consumers and producers. The @mtry_co online marketplace, based in Mankato, offers beef, chicken and pork specialty boxes along with cheese, spice rubs and bacon socks that are shipped directly from producer farms in sustainable packaging. Colette Drager, one of 11 cofounders, shares, “All the people involved in the MTRY & Co bring me so much joy. Our family works so well together. I love getting to know the producers and our consumers and then connecting them.” The MTRY & Co’s mission is simple, “It’s all about bringing the delicious world of small producers directly to you, making the farm-to-table experience accessible and delightful for everyone, and connecting an inspired community with access to top quality small producers,” explains Colette. Every producer within the MTRY network is unique. These are family farms. Their stories are the cornerstone of the MTRY’s mission. The MTRY & Co is a 2023 cohort graduate of the @ruralbusinessinnovationlab. Established in 2022 by @ceda_usa, RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that reverses the narrative of rural decline. Working in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, RBIL supports rural businesses in their growth to become sustainable drivers of economic health. “I don’t think we realized that these connections, the people we’d get to meet, would be such a big part of starting a business,” reflects MacKenzie. “There are so many positive things about starting a business. We’re grateful that the resources from RBIL help us build a stronger base.” Explore producer collections and sign up for the MTRY’s newsletter at https://mtryco.com. Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com This is post two of nine in this series. Check back Thursday for the next local hero!
CEDA and RBIL may be two of Minnesota’s best kep CEDA and RBIL may be two of Minnesota’s best kept secrets. Let’s change that. CEDA (Community and Economic Development Associates) works in and for rural communities. As non-profit, CEDA provides economic development services to rural communities, counties and organizations throughout rural Minnesota, northern Iowa, and western Wisconsin. @ceda_usa , through programs like RBIL(Rural Business Innovation Lab), restores the idea that small towns are thriving economic engines. Supporting entrepreneurship is a strategy for rural resilience. With the right support, rural business owners stay rooted in their communities while positively shaping the regional economy. Cameron Payne and Joshua Schuetz, RBIL’s team leaders, empower rural entrepreneurs to thrive right in their own rural communities. One of @ruralbusinessinnovationlab greatest strengths is its growing network. What began as a small pilot program has evolved into a dynamic ecosystem of partners, mentors, consultants, funders and alumni working to support rural entrepreneurs. RBIL cohorts include businesses in agriculture, agricultural technology, clean energy, regenerative agriculture, agricultural technology, clean energy, food and beverage, education, government work, textiles, and more. Now in its third cohort cycle (with applications for the fourth opening in Jan 2026), RBIL is a community where peers navigate challenges and celebrate triumphs together. Wondering whether RBIL is a good fit for your business? They welcome applications from business owners located in rural areas who produce a scalable product or service. How do the RBIL alums feel? Nick Revoir from Simple Cider Company shared after a coaching session, “Your push and motivation helped so much this week! You give me (and likely everyone else) so much energy to be rockstars (or evil knievels) on our businesses. There is no way I would have gotten close to this far without your help.” Over the next three weeks, Meet the Minnesota Makers will share stories of eight cohort members in partnership with RBIL. Meet rural innovators and see how RBIL makes a difference. Full feature at meettheminnesotamakers.com
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