MN Small Business

Caroline Houghton of Carobeans knew that she was serious about chocolate when she bought her own melanger to grind cocoa beans into chocolate. Carobeans is an artisan bean to bar chocolatier based in St Louis Park, MN.

For Emma Crutcher of Cool Trash in South Minneapolis other people’s trash is literally her treasure.  Emma discovered the Precious Plastic project, which was founded in 2013. This project hosts a suite of open source plans to build machines to recycle plastic on a small scale. “This movement challenges us to think about plastic as a valuable resource for building and creating,” explained Emma

Tahir Sandhu and Gwen Williams of St. Cloud, Minnesota’s Artisan Naan Bakery found that the easiest way to eat the naan and other flatbreads they enjoyed was to make it themselves.  “We started the bakery for purely selfish reasons,” laughed Gwen. “My husband was quite dissatisfied, and had been for years, with the frozen naan, roti and pita that we found in stores.” 

Honeydew Fields Farm, a regenerative flower farm in Sauk Centre, Minnesota thrives today thanks to a journey in infertility.  Lead farmer Leah Bischof knew from a young age that she wanted to farm and that she wanted to be a mom. While she and her husband struggled with infertility, vegetable gardening became a refuge, a place to channel the frustration she felt while they hoped and waited.   Wanting to improve her garden, she studied and read. Her research taught her about the need for diversity in her plantings.

Jen and Eric are the avid gardeners behind Superior Seed Company, a husband-wife small business based in Hermantown.  Their garden kits set you up with a garden in an envelope. Curated by an experienced mixologist and enthusiastic home cooks, you’ll find unique herbs and vegetables in each of their collections. 

Pettit Pastures, its people, animals, and plants, demonstrate everyday that agriculture and nature can coexist. Through the practice of regenerative agriculture, the Pettit Family restores a healthy balance to their land while raising premium beef and pork for their community.