MADE BY HANDS. MADE IN THE UNITED STATES.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Olli's Farm

Through our business, we have been connecting with truly amazing people.
Recently, we were approached by a couple who purchased an old dairy farm
in beautiful Hartwick, NY. Susan & Timo are working hard & are in the process
of getting the old farm back to working condition. They call it, Olli's Farm, & their
focus will be on hand-crafted, cultured butter & berries.

Josh & I took a trip to Olli's Farm last week. We are inspired by their vision & energy.
Here are some photos of our trip & their story...


Susan & Timo began to have an interest in operating a farm soon after they met.
Susan decided to end her career in interior design for a more peaceful & quality life.
They felt strongly about working within a community surrounding themselves with
what they love most - family, animals, food & the outdoors.
They flew from Denver to New York with an open mind and set out to find a farm.

They found it - but it wasn't easy...
Timo and Susan spent three days with the old farmer and his wife
promise after promise after promise that they would continue the farm
and not turn it into a shopping mall, baseball fields, etc. The farm was settled in
the early 1800's and has always remained a farm. It was a dairy farm from the early
1900's to the late 1990's when the farm was declining in production and eventually
stopped shipping milk. Susan & Timo had a vision that they could rescue the
farm from being sold for rental property or commercial use. They wanted to get out
of the commercial world and get into the world of being producers of products and
food that enrich and bring back memories of "the good life".

"When we talk about being butter makers the response always goes somewhat like
this- my grandmother or my aunt or I had butter that was real farm butter , fresh butter.
You can see the sparkle in their eye of adoration of that person or place where
they experienced the butter. We are so fortunate to get to talk to people about "good memories".
It keeps us going, it makes us work through the days when this seems so hard to do.
We feel and have hope that people will eat our butter and will remember that
moment when they got to have fresh, creamy real cultured butter made with care and love.
We love the farm and now there is nothing else we want to do. "
- Susan Bruss, Butter Maker at Olli's Farm.

We are happy to have met the folks at Olli's Farm & look forward to future collaborations...


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