Vintage Farmer 2009 - excerpts from our journal while starting our business

   On June 20th 2009, the idea to make pasta noodles for the Annandale, MN farmers market was the beginning of insanity.

   After a few weeks of noticing sales and increased demand for the product, we decided to move ahead and start making noodles as a part-time business. Over the next week of August the 15th, we decided to try Delano, Maple Lake, and Excelsior farmer markets with great results. Also as a bonus, we sign up for garlic fest in Hutchinson and sell a large amount of noodles and continue to move forward.

   While slowly purchasing equipment to further our adventure, we order an electric roller to go with our 2 manual rollers to increase production. Soon we realize the demand for gluten-free outweighs the regular noodle (surprise!) and begin full production of gluten-free.

     Currently, we are actively looking to get outside of the house for retail production as it seems the business is going to have a larger than expected outcome from our efforts. Contacts being made are almost mind-numbing as we hear thoughts of getting into retail stores like local Delish and Coborns. The need for funding is high on the list and also for larger equipment to meet demands and yet still be profitable. This week of Aug 31st we are trying to compile a business plan and search feverishly for somewhere to set up shop. Our garage is an option so far and possibly some local town has a place for lease. I started back to school and Chanda has taken the year off to begin to establish the business. The kids are very supportive and would not be successful without them. I hope I can make it up to them soon in the future. It’s a family affair and it seems the sky is the limit but, we are trying to be fiscally responsible by paying cash for equipment and hope to progress at a moderate pace. This week’s markets as of Aug 31st is Delano, Maple Plain, Excelsior and Annandale. White Bear Lake festival is fast approaching and life is extremely busy.



Sept 15- Struggling, bread keeps falling. Trying to focus on pasta and figure out how we can get retail or commercial accounts. Chanda Started making dessert noodles. Big sellers are chocolate, apple pie, triple berry, pumpkin pie. I had an appointment with Wright County about extended home business. Now I need to draw up a planned kitchen and submit with the application for approval. Money is tight and hard to come by. Barely paying bills and it seems like we are pouring it into the business. Have faith and keep plugging away, it seems to be taking off. School is fine but the workload at home is heavy and I don’t feel like I help Chanda enough. I have Lots of homework and trying to figure out business plans and financing along with making pasta, labels, bagging and keeping supplies up all makes for long days. I have been going to bed after midnight almost regularly to keep up with homework.



   Upcoming events are Kristkindl in Excelsior, this one is $300 for the weekend but claims to be large. We are thinking of doing baskets of pasta with sauce and dessert baskets. Could be a good prospect if we build up inventory and put together some nice baskets. We are looking for some winter markets to work, maybe Maple Grove and St. Paul.

   Things are moving along. We are planning to do Kristkindl and have begun collecting baskets. The bread was a struggle for a while to stay risen but Chanda seems to have figured it out again by changing a couple items in the recipe. Baked sales have started to rise so we try to bring some for each event. We also figured out a system for noodles that reduced our time from –forever to 2 hours-, this will help greatly for doing some other baked goods and spending quality time with kids. Even when doing noodles as a family, it seems like quality time is conversation and competition to get done fast. Maybe the kids don’t agree, but hopefully one day they can look back and say “I remember doing noodles in our kitchen for hours and getting up at 3:00 a.m. to start bagging”.

   We are really trying to get this business off the ground but not without lots of help from the kids, sweat, and patience. We are planning to put a room in the garage to work in. It will be for markets only as we will not get certified yet. We just need to get out of the house. Hopefully, in the summer we can expand to a commercial kitchen or even head to town but for now, all is well and we just keep plugging away.

   This week will be insane and already is lining up that way. October 3 is Saturday which is fall harvest at Pioneer Park in Annandale, MN. We’re down to 3 markets, Maple Plain is done. Made 5 batches Monday and now we are gearing up for the park. I will make more batches tonight and have some for Delano, Excelsior, and Annandale. After Saturday, hopefully, things will slow down a hair. Then we can focus on moving forward in the business and getting ready for Kristkindl.

   Money is beyond tight as I don’t think we will make it to the end of the year. That’s the Devil trying to get me down I’m sure; have faith and keep going. School is busy. The kids are busy. Chanda is nuts, going on insane, but; she’ll make it, she has a lot of drive. Someday we will have this thing figured out so we can have some of our life back but for now, it is what it is.

   The week of October 5 has quickly approached. It has been raining a lot lately which has caused us to miss some markets. We got through the fall harvest at the park so now we can start to focus again on the business. It’s been a slow week for production because we’re just trying to get our house in check again after the busy week. Winter is coming fast it seems and I am not looking forward to it this year. Oh well, one day at a time. Planning to make some noodles tonight after school and shopping but it could get late with all the homework. No slowing down on the assignments. Thinking of ways to generate some additional money but haven’t found one yet.

   I started tutoring this week so that will be some money. A lady from Bendix School received an inheritance and bought all the kids some coats and boots. She wanted to help as many families as she could. That was a real blessing.

   It is winter and it’s only Oct 20. We just got our first bag sealer in the mail today. Very exciting! Only Delano and Excelsior this week and it’s supposed to rain. We signed up for Kristkindl so we are preparing for basket ideas and other thoughts. Maybe pick up a second student to tutor for some extra cash that we were looking for. We put our products on Etsy.com and will add more as we figure it out. We are still looking to get out of the house with the noodles but; no leads yet.

   Nine days to Kristkindl and we have lots of baskets and more pasta on the way. We looked at property in Annandale for lease or sale. It has an apartment above a large store. We are now trying to find a way to acquire this place for the startup of the business. We are looking to sell our house and move to town if possible and begin to install a commercial kitchen. Many possibilities if we can get this property. We could rent out kitchen space, start our bakery portion and begin to get products out to other markets for resale. We are looking into investors and planning a strategy for the possible move.

   We recently did the Hutchinson mall craft show. It was slow and only made $200. Tutoring 3 students now so who knows what is going to happen next. We have had 2 sales on Etsy.com. Things keep going forward.



   Kristkindlemarkt is over. We sold 1,000 dollars worth of product. Very good turn out, next year do our own booth. Found a kitchen to rent in Dassel, La’te’da coffee shop. Next door is a business to rent for 350 a month. We are meeting the inspector this week to look at both.

    Local D’lish is excited to have our product and will help promote on Mondays to get the word out. We are working on bread pricing and cookie pricing since they are new big sellers. We are still making noodles but more on an order basis until markets start up again. Now we need NSF products now more than ever, so we are searching for those too.

  The New Year is here and we are off and running. We have a commercial kitchen to rent and our first account with Local D’lish. On Mondays, we are promoting our product and will have items in the store by the end of the month. We are also going to Harvest Breads, Litchfield Co-op, and The Good Earth in St. Cloud. Things are starting to pick up speed and we are ready for the action. Rumor has it that Dunn Bros. Coffee is interested in our product as well.

   For February, we have two events and a market at Local D’lish just to keep us busy. QuickBooks is active and we made our first deposit this month. Business cards and postcards are being made and we are having some professional labels getting done for the pasta. Now the search for bulk ingredients and other packaging supplies.
   Good earth has placed 2 orders this week. We Just finished local D’lish market and Champlin craft show. Champlin was not good but Local D was great. One more Etsy order that we are working on today to get shipped. We now have insurance, Chanda is going to take her food handlers test this week and should get her kitchen certification today.
   A lot has happened since January. We are closer to a deal with Dunn Bros. The good earth is a regular twice a week order. We have quotes for electrical and plumbing for building in Annandale and are moving forward. Markets are starting and we have Delano, Maple Plain, Hutch, Annandale, St. Cloud and Litchfield. Chanda is going to manage the St. Cloud market. School is out again for Spring semester and looking to Summer. Chanda had an interview with a magazine and is making some interesting contacts. Sold boiler and ma and pa helped financially to raise our capital to $8,500. Now, figure out how to get into the building in Annandale.

 

    We have moved into the building now. We live upstairs and the kitchen is being finished downstairs behind the retail store that was there before. Our plan is to sell our product in the store and have a year round farmers market and sell other local peoples food and crafts.

    Big phone call today!!! Dunn Bros. wants our muffin!! This is the first time they have ever considered gluten-free because in their words, “they all taste bad”. We will be making 1000 banana chocolate chip muffins for the first order and will be available for their 90 stores. When they sampled our muffin they were mixed in with the regular gluten muffins, so when the tasters where choosing a muffin they picked ours over all the regular gluten muffins. They were told the one they picked was gluten-free so that’s when they decided it’s time to start offering gluten-free!

    We are now serving lunch at the store. With much success, people are excited to eat at a new place. They love the food and want to know what kind of bread and flatbread we are using. We always say “that is our secret”, (didn’t want everyone to know it was all gluten-free). When someone would come in and ask if anything is gluten-free we would always smile and say everything!!!

    Chanda has now finished school and decisions need to be made. She wants to pursue her career with her degree and I have been working full time outside of the Bakery/Store. With heavy hearts, we decide to shut down knowing that many people will miss their gluten free foods and mixes. We need to do what is right for us at the time but knowing that with all this knowledge and experience, we hope to bring back Vintage Farmer again someday soon!!!

 

Thanks to all who supported us and our dear children for putting up with us and the business!

 

Dan & Chanda

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

                                                                                               Chapter 2    

           

               BumpaNeeNee……………..

                                  (the name was created by our grandson who refers to us as Bumpa and NeeNee!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

​