Amador Farms
Dripping Springs
Tour F 

Susan and Rusty Staub own and operate a hydroponics growing operation that produces lettuce, basil, strawberries and more. Susan sells most of her product at the farmers’ market, but also sells to Austin restaurants. We will see the greenhouses and the packing area where all the products originate before their arrival at the farmers’ market. During our stop at Amador Farms, Susan will share her ideas and tips on booth design, product display, customer service, and how she gauges her planting and harvesting to match demand at her year-round market.

This will be one the lunch stop on day 2 for Tour F. Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market is sponsoring the lunch, which will be prepared by Austin-area chefs and will feature local foods. In addition to the farm tour and a specially coordinated lunch, we will enjoy discussing the merits of community involvement in farmers’ markets and get an inside perspective of how it all comes together for the successful Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market. Market vendors and customers will join us at this stop to answer discussion questions about what makes a successful market.

Arnosky Family Farms/Texas Specialty Cut Flowers
Wimberley
Tours F, P, S

Arnosky Family Farms/Texas Specialty Cut Flowers is Texas’ premier producer of specialty cut flowers. Pamela and Frank Arnosky contribute articles regularly to Growing For Market. They have been leaders in cut flower production and marketing in Texas and around the country. Together with their children, they sell at two farmers’ markets, direct market to a variety of grocery stores, florists and to the wholesale market. The Arnoskys plan to open a new farm stand in 2005. They plan to sell their own vegetables, fruit and flowers from their new stand. They envision their farm stand as a destination setting where they will have live music on weekends, pick-your-own opportunities, and café food opportunities.

We’ll tour the new building site and visit with the Arnoskys there. The Arnoskys have plenty to teach us about marketing, whether at a farmers’ market, farm stand, or wholesale to supermarket chains. During our visit to the farm, they’ll discuss market diversification and how decision-making changes as a farm business evolves. We’ll also see the fields and greenhouses where they grow their flowers. Then, we can visit them Saturday morning at the Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market. They’ll also be presenting in two conference sessions, one on Friday and one on Saturday.

Becker Vineyards
Stonewall
Tours R, S

Richard and Bunny Becker started their Texas Hill Country vineyard in 1992. The vineyard has been constantly changing and evolving ever since they planted their first 46 acres of French Vinifera vines with 16 different varietals. Their first harvest was in 1995. In 1997, they transformed a nearby log cabin into The Homestead Bed and Breakfast. A trip to Provence, France, inspired Richard and Bunny to plant 3 acres of lavender. Since that time, they built The Lavender Haus. The reception hall is used for various events, including wine dinners, festivals, luncheons, birthday parties and weddings.

 The tasting room is small but elegantly furnished and designed. A long, covered porch offers ample space for sampling wines and enjoying the views. Visitors can sample and purchase wines as well as lavender-related items. Becker Vineyards hosts an annual Lavender Festival, too. This vineyard is a great example of how a daily retail business can selectively add additional experiences and events to promote and draw attention yet still retain the quality of their core business.

Bella Verdi Farms
Dripping Springs
Tour F 

At first glance, you might wonder why a large microgreens grower is a stop on our Farmers’ Market Tour. The answer is clear. Owner Darrell Joseph is a foodie who turned his passion for eating good food into a passion for growing good food. The result was Bella Verdi Farms. Although most of the farms’ microgreens are sold through a distributor, the farm has a stall at Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market. (You’ll have a chance to visit the booth on Saturday morning when a bus will take interested participants from the conference to the market.) The microgreens are grown in an 18,000-square-foot greenhouse. Darrell created a system to collect rainwater, which is filtered and recycled again and again. For a hydroponic operation, it uses far less water than one might imagine. Even with wholesale customers like Whole Foods Market, Darrell still believes that selling at farmers’ markets is important. Besides having fun at the market, he enjoys teaching customers how to use microgreens and getting customer feedback about his product.

Boggy Creek Farm
Austin
Tours B, F, S

Boggy Creek Farm is a 5-acre farm in the densely populated city of Austin. It has been producing organic vegetables, fruit and eggs since 1991 and is famous for its smoked dried tomatoes. Larry Butler and Carol Ann Sayle, who have appeared on the Food Network, originally sold produce on an Austin city street corner, then at Austin’s farmers’ markets. They now sell exclusively at their farm. In addition to their own farm-grown produce (they also grow produce at their Milam County Farm), they feature value-added products from other local farms, such as Pure Luck goat cheese and the best goat’s milk ice cream you can find.

Each tour will focus on a different aspect of the farm. Everyone will see their 1841 Republic of Texas home, which was once a slave plantation and is now being restored to put it on the national registry of historic landmarks. Tours B and R will focus more on the small farm market. We’ll look at layout and contrast this open-sided, urban market with a more traditional, enclosed market. We’ll also discuss the farm’s value-added products and learn the whys and hows that they were created and offered—particularly of Larry’s smoke-dried tomatoes.

Cabela’s
Buda
Tours A, C, R

Cabela’s is doing for hunting, fishing and outdoorsmanship, what Home Depot has done for the do-it yourselfer. Is it really retailing, or is it education, or recreation, or entertainment, or dream appeal?  Regardless of the box one might want to put it in, it is successful! At Cabela’s, they don’t do workshops, they do retail events. They don’t stop at merchandise displays, they do full featured museum-styled dioramas.

Cotton Gin Restaurant & Lodging
Fredericksburg
Tour B

This unique facility combines seven log cabins carefully relocated to create a tiny little village next to the Cotton Gin Restaurant. The 1880s cabins are part of a bed and breakfast surrounding water ponds, herb gardens and windmills.The grounds are immaculately kept, and every nook and cranny holds a special plant or piece of Old Texas. Guests at the bed and breakfast enjoy a perfectly themed stay in a quiet and informal, yet upscale setting. The timber and stone frame full-service restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s fast becoming a favorite spot for tourists from all over the world as they visit Fredericksburg. It certainly elevates breakfast to an all-new level for those who seek overnight lodging in a cabin.

The whole business is the vision of owner Ross Burtwell. He’s the executive chef and pays attention to every detail of the restaurant’s exquisite menu. Mike Bouse is manager of the B&B and the front of the restaurant. Together, they provide one of the finest dining and lodging experiences in the entire Fredericksburg area

Das Peach Haus
Fredericksburg
Tours P, R 

General store. Farm market. Jelly maker. Peach grower. The farm has come full circle.

A small log cabin at the front of the property was relocated log by log by Mark Wieser. When Mark opened it to sell peaches, it had the first cooler solely for chilling peaches in a Texas roadside market. Mark’s family members became involved in the market and making jams and jellies. The retail store was once the Lonestar Brewery Warehouse, which Mark relocated to this site. In the late 1990s, jam and jelly production moved to a larger facility. Das Peach Haus is now part of a company that operates Das Peach Haus, The Epicurean in downtown Fredericksburg, The Company Store at their processing facility, Oberhof Wine Cellars and the Four Sixes bed and breakfast. It’s run by Mark and Case Fischer, a former student and employee (Mark was a teacher). The Fischer and Wieser line of gourmet jams and jellies are available at a variety of locations.

During our visit, the folks from Fischer and Wieser will feature a private tasting of many of the products now offered for resale. You’ll pick up some tips on tasting and sampling and you might even choose to offer some Texas Hill country products back home for your customers when you’re through. The tasting room for Oberhof Wine Cellers is also located in Das Peach Haus.

Peach production has returned to Das Peach Haus, which is Mark’s family’s farm. They’ve planted out a new orchard of 1,200 peaches on 9 acres of the site of the farm’s original peach orchard. They’ll soon be harvesting peaches, including the antique Elberta peach.
 

Der Peach Garten is a small farm market located outside ofFredericksburg in the heart of the region’s peach country. In peach season it’s one of many locations in the region to buy local peaches. The rest of the year it’s a notable specialty food shop offering an array of specialty food items, including jams, jellies and salsas, as well as cookbooks from Texas Hill Country. Its manager is Veronica Diddert, who keeps right on top of sampling and merchandising. Many products are made right in the store’s kitchen.

The owners of Der Peach Garten also own and operate the Hog Stop Inn right next door. It’s a unique B&B that caters to motorcycle enthusiasts. With six cabins nestled in the woods, the B&B also features the Ice Haus and Wine Bar, where guests can play pool, shoot darts or have a cold drink. Innkeeper and owner Michael Talley has a passion for Harley-Davidson, and he translates his interest to the lodging business as well as providing customized tours of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Devine Acres is an up and coming young farm. The farmers are young, the peach orchard and Christmas trees are young, and the business plan is just beginning to take shape. This farm is owned and operated by Ken and Debi Capps together with their children. They have a few animals, do a few school tours, and converted the original farmhouse into a retail stand and ice cream and snack counter. But the real emphasis is on pick your own peaches, pick your own blackberries, cut your own Christmas trees and tomatoes and pumpkins that are getting a little stronger each year.

It’s a great stop to start off with and will bring us back to where we all began. That doesn’t mean you won’t learn a few things from the Capps, though. They’re both accredited teachers. And, like so many family farmers these days, they run another pretty successful business off the farm, too. Tours P and S will get their school on wheels discussions rolling here before they head out in different directions.

Dixie Dude Ranch
Bandera
Tours B, C 

When you think of a dude ranch, perhaps it brings to mind the 1991 movie titled “City Slickers” starring Billy Crystal.  Dixie Dude is one of the few remaining outfits that actually operated in those days. Bandera bills itself as the Cowboy Capital of the World, and Dixie Dude Ranch is a genuine working livestock ranch that was founded in 1901. The guest ranch started in 1937, and like any successful business it keeps adjusting to the wants and needs of the times.

The Conolys have incorporated plenty of nature tourism onto the ranch. The rustic guestrooms and cottages are located on the 725-acre ranch. In March 2005, the family received its award from the Texas Department of Agriculture-Family Land Heritage Program for a century of continuous operation by the same family.

Guests of the ranch this century can still do their horseback riding and hang out with the cattle. They can also get a massage, do some dancing to a modern day swing band, have a full-blown catered party indoors or along side the chuck wagon, or spend time in the pool and hot tub.

Our Bed and Breakfast and Boutiques Tour and our Catering and Corporate Parties tour will both enjoy their visit to this authentic Texas ranch.

Eastside Café
Austin
Tour F 

This Austin restaurant maintains a large kitchen garden, regularly shops at the local farmers’ market and proudly promotes local food on its menu. Owners Dorsey Barger and Elaine Martin are vendors at the local farmers’ market, selling their own 2005 “Best of Austin” salad dressing and marinades. They have a well-designed Web site with a seasonal e-newsletter that updates readers on menu items, promotions, charity events, new products and popular recipes. Tour F will have day 3 lunch at this stop, and during our stop we’ll have time for extended group discussions about the future of the Farmers’ Market Coalition.

The Exotic Resort Zoo is a private family business. It offers birthday party packages, a petting zoo, picnic area, daily guided safari rides and even bed and breakfast cabins. It’s a unique business with a focus on animals. Tour A will enjoy a ride through the Safari, where a you’ll see everything from aoudad to zebra, and where a small bucket of feed can create a huge amount of excitement. You’ll also be able to visit the petting zoo where young animals and children of all ages interact directly.

You’ll see various examples of tractor-pulled trailers used as “people movers.” You’ll also get some tips on the challenges and returns of operating an animal experience destination. There are several safari-type experiences in Texas due in part to its warm climate, which is conducive to exotic animals from other parts of the world. This one is a small family owned business. The friendly staff is cross-trained to be in the gift shop, guiding the tour or cleaning the pens.

Texas Hill Country is home to big skies, open spaces, rolling hills and The Farm Country Club. A Texas Century Farm, The Farm County Club has been operated by the Stevens family for more than 100 years. The Stevens raise Hereford cattle, Delaine Merino sheep, Angora goats and a few Texas Longhorns. They also host parties of all types and sizes.

Homer and Kathy Stevens were once school teachers. But a family ranch, a love for cooking, appreciation for the outdoors, and a talent for making people smile has brought them back to the farm. They have pulled all their talents together to create a unique Texas-style party experience for folks from all over the world. The party barn hosts weddings, reunions, corporate events and much more.The grounds include sports facilities, a swimming pool, a game shed, any kind of Texas entertainment a group could ever want, and an occasional wild antelope sighting right up close. The Country Club also hosts guests from all across the continent at their RV Park. Guess where they find the good help for the party barn!?

We won’t rush outa here too fast. But the plan is to blaze a trail from the Cowboy Town straight into San Antonio for y’all to take in the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and any other destinations you’re fixin’ to visit in Downtown San Antonio. Take advantage tonight, cuz’ tomorrow we don’t get back to the big city ‘til the moon sets up high!

Another Fredericksburg gem is Fredericksburg Herb Farm. Located just a few blocks from downtown, this herb farm is ready to expand from its 5 acres in production. In 1986, Bill and Sylvia Varney left the big city life in Houston for Fredericksburg. They bought a house and soon started a shop on Main Street called Varney’s Chemist Laden. Business quickly grew, and in 1991, they bought a 4-acre abandoned farm just 6 blocks from downtown. Bill has transformed the farm to include a day spa, bed and breakfast, restaurant and retail shop. He has created several display gardens, including the Star Garden, Children’s Garden and Secret Garden. He also has a warehouse in which he makes a variety of lotions and perfumes using farm-grown herbs, and they etch their own glass. Products from the farm have been sold in Japan for 10 years, and they’re also sold by Dean and Deluca.

Bill has 5 acres under cultivation and another 10 acres into which he can expand. Bill’s vision includes an indoor/outdoor theater along with a new hotel with an expanded spa. Bill and Sylvia wrote two books, Along the Garden Path and Herbs: Growing & Using the Plants of Romance.

There’s a little something of interest to everyone. Tour B will see the boutique shop and hear about the bed and breakfast. Tour F will enjoy lunch at the Herb Farm Restaurant. Tour P will enjoy the passion for plants. Tour R will see retail in an experience setting. And Tour S enjoys how every piece works together for one whole sustainable package.

This may a little place by Texas standards. On the other hand, it defies a lot of conventional wisdom. And that’s what you’re here to see. Bill Varney will also speak about his “Plot of Potential” at the conference.

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