Birdhous
Birdhous L3C was started in 2017 with the stated social mission of lessening barriers to agricultural enterprise. The land in Barton, Vermont serves as a “co-working landscape” inviting young and beginning farmers to its residential “Roosting” program, which offers subsidized rent, tool and infrastructure sharing, and the built-in support offered by living communally in a like-minded cohort.
They recently gained recognition as a “Certified Naturally Grown” operation and hold the resident farmers to that standard. Their products include vegetables and potatoes, which are the main ingredient in the value-added product VT Pierogi. This product formally launched last spring in collaboration with Sweet Rowen Farmstead, and has since gained freezer space in several retail stores and grocers from Hardwick to Hinesburg-- most notably, City Market.
They recently unveiled a retail farm store and have long term plans for continued agri-tourism, workshops, and events. All proceeds are funneled back into the Roosting Program to help ensure the future of farming is ethical, sustainable, and delicious.
Their VFF Business Builder loan was used to outfit a bus into a certified food production space for pierogi-making that can also work as a catering/food truck for pop-up VT Pierogi events.