Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom & Mary
Hi Tom & Mary, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
During the pandemic we, like many others, hit the road and travelled the country. When we returned we were greeted with the opportunity to live and work on a Christmas tree farm, which felt silly to pass up! Little did we know it would change the trajectory of our careers and lives overall. We had both come from business and marketing backgrounds, but Chesterland is pretty agricultural and we were quickly immersed in growing beautiful and healthy trees. It led to bigger questions about food production and with a lot of self-education, we learned that most commercially produced food really lacks in nutrition and overall health.
Starting Wild Patch was a natural fit for us, we’d always enjoyed growing and it satisfied the need we felt to contribute a solution to this problem by providing a local, nutritious option for people in our community. At first, we were only delivering door-to-door to our friends and family in between working other jobs. Today we are both full-time and have established partnerships with more than 20 restaurants in the greater Cleveland area. We also stock our greens at six local farm stores, and participate in farmers markets on the weekends.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning about indoor growing and best practices for microgreens was a big investment in time with a lot of trial and error. We have steadily built our offering to include over 30 varieties of microgreens. Each one is unique and requires a certain amount of time to grow. Some have specific nutritional needs or require an extra step before planting. Seasonal changes outside can affect the temperature and humidity indoors too so we’ve learned to manage that. For two people who enjoy problem solving it was more fun than challenging. We are still trying out new crops all the time!
Entering and establishing ourselves in a volatile restaurant scene is also a challenge worth mentioning, and frankly was a leap of faith more than anything else. We didn’t know what to expect when we approached our first big name, and post-pandemic we were unsure how well we’d be received in a price sensitive market. Finding the courage to just walk in somewhere took some inherent confidence, too! But we knew we had something worth speaking up about. Building these connections was no small feat but we have found amazing chefs and restaurants who do want the best that local has to offer.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wild Patch LLC?
Wild Patch offers microgreens, edible flowers and baby greens. It is owned and operated by Tom and Mary who are partners in life and business. We specialize in custom growing for chefs and restaurants by offering unique varieties of greens at different stages of growth. We love special requests and challenging ourselves with new crops.
The two biggest factors that set us apart would be shelf life and range of offerings. Microgreens have gotten a bad reputation for having a short shelf life for consumers or being outdated for plating. Our shelf life is more than double the industry standard which guarantees fresh greens throughout the week. Being a small business allows us to be more flexible and creative than the competition, and it is our hope that chefs use our microgreens as actual ingredients based on flavor and texture rather than just a garnish for show.
We are proud that our brand amplifies our values. For example, we offer our products in commercially compostable containers so as not to contribute to single-use plastic waste, and our greens are grown in high quality soil that is produced locally and feeds a circular economy to reduce food scraps in landfills. We also actively choose to keep our products local and don’t offer shipping in an effort to reduce food miles and teach others about the unnecessary shipping of food across the country.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Whether you are a chef feeding many, or a parent feeding a few, you have all the power and can make such an impact in your community by spending your dollars on locally produced food rather than at big-box stores or shipping in from other states. We are so lucky to live in Ohio where there are over 300 farmers markets, several of which continue indoors during the winter. You will make a difference in the lives of your neighbors and in your own health when you choose food grown with intention and care.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildpatchgreens.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildpatchgreens/
