Expanding into a regenerative organic fruit / vegetable production operation on 10 acres of leased, irrigated cropland in Paonia, CO.
Funded on 12/04/2020
Recently, one of the largest distributors of organic produce in Denver was acquired by a national distributor. They no longer specialize in organic produce, leaving Denver's organic market underserved. The Colorado Peach Co,'s distribution partner, Fresh Start Produce, believes this poses a significant opportunity to capture a reasonable share of the local / organic market in Denver.
The farm's plan is to lease this property is to produce certified organic fruit & vegetables to supply Fresh Start Produce, other distributors, their own retail & farmers market locations, and potentially other local farmers markets and restaurants in the nearby towns of Aspen and Steamboat Springs.
They’ve recently come into contact with a landowner & son in Paonia who have been farming with sustainable, organic practices since 1970. They are looking to lease a parcel of irrigated cropland to a sustainable organic grower.
Upon meeting and speaking with the landowner, viewing the property, and discussing terms, owner Nate Meyer believes this 10-acre property is an excellent fit for expansion into regenerative organic fruit & vegetable production. This initial loan will be used to pay the deposit needed to secure the property, with a projected move-in date of January 1, 2021.
After this first loan from Steward, they plan to pursue a second loan to build out basic infrastructure on the property, such as a hoop house and a wash & pack area.
The farm's current practices are based on soil regeneration, using microbial inoculants and mineral supplements. The inoculants are similar to the result of a properly produced compost tea. These practices drastically increase the amount of nutrients available to the plant in a usable form.
Nathan has learned that healthy, well-mineralized, well-hydrated plants are far less prone to issues from pests or disease. Healthy plants come from a balanced living soil food web, so his primary focus is on feeding the soil, rather than the plants.
The combination of healthy plants, good cultural practices, beneficial organisms & insects, strong bio-diversity on the farm, and the feeding & care of the soil results in produce that is high-quality, nutrient-dense, high brix (sugar content), and delicious.
Hello! Spring preparations are in full-swing here at the new farmsite. Most of my time spent in front of the computer recently has been researching, searching & ordering supplies, so I wanted to pause briefly to post a quick update for all of you! Field prep tractor work has begun, soil samples are at the lab being tested, growing supplies started arriving last week, irrigation water is flowing, and we’re on track to start the first rounds of spring planting in a couple of short weeks. I’ll be posting additional updates on social media in the coming days (@ColoradoPeachCompany on Facebook & Instagram). Thanks everyone! -Nate
I’m here at the farm-to-be in Paonia, Colorado where preparations for the 2021 growing season are well underway. I wanted to say thank you again for participating in my first loan with Steward to secure this property! We’re excited to announce that we have launched a second loan campaign. This loan will fund the nuts and bolts of building the farm’s infrastructure and planting the initial crop. You can learn more about the project here: stwd.farm/peachco
Happy New Year everyone! Quick update, we signed the lease & paid the deposit to secure the land just prior to the holidays. The property owner is currently running water lines & having power installed, He estimates that will be complete around the first week of February, then we'll proceed with preparing the site for the necessary infrastructure. More updates will follow as we progress...
A big heartfelt thank you to everyone who has invested in this project, and to the Steward team for all their hard work! We've reached our initial goal, and will now secure the land with a deposit in the coming days...more updates to follow. Thank you for supporting sustainable agriculture! -Nathan Meyer
A big thank you to everyone who has invested so far. Because of you, we're already very close to our first Milestone of 20%. Thank you for supporting local, sustainable farms! -Nathan Meyer
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