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Did you know that there are about 1.8 million tea growers around the world? The leading tea-producing countries include Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan. The U.S. trails behind the 6 million tons of global tea production, producing only about 90 to 100 tons a year. And there are about 80 to 90 tea farms spread across 17 states in the U.S., with most of the tea growers located in Hawaii.

Meet Lori Baker …a farmer and artist. Lori is one of the owners of Heron’s Meadow Farm located in Woodbine Maryland. Lori and her husband Bob grow tea under the company name BLTeas. Growing tea in Maryland is not an easy feat mainly due to the cold temperatures. Knowing the statistics around growing teas in the US and growing teas on the East Coast of the US, Lori and her husband knew what they were up against, but they took on the challenge anyway.

The couple had been contemplating an agricultural venture. Lori, an electrical engineer for 30 years, had sold her company and knew one thing for certain: She wanted to focus on farming for the next chapter of her life. She has always loved growing things, and loved watching nature do its miraculous thing. SheI feels at peace when she’s digging in the dirt or planting seeds and just feels a connection with nature.

During the winter months Lori focuses on her art…specifically her pottery…her teapots and mugs are the perfect compliment to her home grown teas. Lori’s story is not an easy one. As you will learn, Lori has survived 2 kidney transplants and now has a renewed energy and focus for her farm. An amazing story and a truly amazing woman - enjoy my conversation with Lori Baker.

BLTeas Store
MudPi Studios (Lori's Pottery Business)
Heron's Meadow Farm Facebook
Email Lori to Join their Newsletter @ Lori.blteas@gmail.com

Grounded in Maine Podcast hosted by Amy Fagan is an open conversation about being mindful about how we show up for the world. Amy is passionate about learning how we can be sustainable in all aspects of life.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
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• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

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I’ve taken leaps of faith in the past, but nothing like Giany Guedjo, the Executive Director at Carolina Human Reinvestment. Giany was an accountant at an orphanage in Benin, West Africa. But Giany wanted more for himself and his expanding family. He entered an immigration lottery to come to the US….and he was selected. And that’s when the leap of faith really began…showing up in New York, not proficient in English, with no real home and job to go to, a one and a half year old child, and a pregnant wife. And now, many years later, a 2nd Master degree later, Giany is heading up a non profit organization in Georgetown County, South Carolina that is having a significant impact on the children of incarcerated parents through various programs, mainly centered around growing food.

And the impact is not only on these families, but the food his organization grows is having a significant impact on the greater community who is struggling to put nutritious food on their tables. Yes, it was a leap of faith that Giany took and continued to take over the years….and still continues to take to this day. He also said that his journey also required some real patience along the way.

The main focus of my discussion with Giany is around his journey and the mission and evolution of Carolina Human Reinvestment. You will also see that in order to sustain and grow all the good that Carolina Human Reinvestment is doing, Giany is now using a bit of agritourism through a successful farm to table dinner fundraiser. And I think that if he carefully expands those farm to table, agritourism opportunities and shows off all the amazing and highly effective farming and hydroponic systems that they created, he has a unique opportunity to help sustain and grow his impactful programs.

Thank you to Giany, Kathy and his whole team of workers and volunteers….you are doing such impactful and meaningful work for your community and to make this world a better and healthier place. Enjoy my conversation with Giany Guedjo!

Carolina Human Reinvestment (CHRSC)
Watch Video Tour of CHRSC Greenhouse & Hydroponic Setup

Grounded in Maine Podcast hosted by Amy Fagan is an open conversation about being mindful about how we show up for the world. Amy is passionate about learning how we can be sustainable in all aspects of life.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

They believe that great craft chocolate is “true to the bean,” – that the flavors apparent in the bar reflect the flavors hidden in the cacao bean. Like coffee beans and wine grapes, different cacao beans have different flavors. Discovering those flavors is one of the joys Tom & Monica feel when making (and eating) single-origin craft chocolate!

Tom and Monica are the owners of Goodnow Farms Chocolate. They enjoyed working together and wanted to have a shared vision and adventure while raising their two children. And that shared vision and adventure was through connecting people to where their chocolate comes from. Goodnow Farms chocolate is made in their 225-year old farm factory in Sudbury, MA. They offer scheduled factory tours in the spring and fall - you can check out their website to sign up. Originally, they started making chocolate in their Los Angeles apartment out of a desire to eat more high quality chocolate. They couldn’t find reliable, local chocolate sources so they figured they would make it themselves. It took them a few years to perfect their chocolate recipes… but when they did, they decided to move to MA to build their chocolate factory.

Tom and Monica’s bars have a unique appeal for many reasons but one being that they produce their own cocoa butter, something that many bean to bar chocolate makers do not do. I’ve had the opportunity to savor several GoodNow Farms single origin chocolate bars. Tom will reveal his and Monica’s favorites as well! I will tempt you with two of their intriguing bar names….Passion Fruit & Cream & Caramelized Onion….mmmmmm!

Enjoy my chat with Tom and Monica from Goodnow Farms Chocolate.

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Goodnow Farms Chocolate Gifts
Goodnow Farms Hot Cocoa

Grounded in Maine Podcast hosted by Amy Fagan is an open conversation about being mindful about how we show up for the world. Amy is passionate about learning how we can be sustainable in all aspects of life.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network