Staying Afloat for the Love of Goats and Durham.

Sandra and Frankie the Goat

Over the years I’ve written down taglines I think would be incrediBULL to put on our Durham city limit signs. Until Covid-19 hit my favorite was, “Durham. Drop your expectations at the city lines.” Regardless of whatever preconceived notion folks have coming into Durham, be it negative or positive, Durham will defy any and all expectations. In most things in life you get what you’re looking for, again good or bad. But here, whatever you’re seeking you get Durham.

In the face of this global pandemic, I’ve added a new slogan to the running roster: Everyone wins, especially Durham.

Admittedly, I’m Bull City biased, however, I also have now 319 years of Durham data in my head, living room, office, computer, cloud… And I can factually tell you that what we’re seeing in the face of unprecedented challenges is so Durham. Businesses and indiviudals are surviving this economic chaos by coming together, albeit apart, creating unique opportunities for the business and community to win.

Creativity. Collaboration. Innovation. Grit. This is how Durham is withstanding the maelstrom of Covid-19.

Sandra Vergara, co-owner of Elodie Farms, shares how she and her husband Ted are weathering the storm and it’s truly Durham. Last thing I’ll say before turning it over to Sandra is – get the big jar of the blueberry mousse. You’re welcome in advance.

Elodie Farms is a small goat dairy located 30 minutes north of downtown Durham. We make goat cheese and goat cheese mousse, and we use the leftover whey to make whey crackers. We’re a no-cull dairy and all our goats are treated like pets. Mama goats raise their kids and live in family groups, and special needs goats are given the care they need to live happy long lives.

“In addition to our dairy products, we host multi-course farm dinners, farm tours, and private events. These events provide a unique opportunity for our customers to see for themselves how our animals live, and how they are treated. Agritourism events are also fun for us because we love sharing with our visitors the stories of our farm, the goats, and their antics.

“The agritourism side of our operation makes up to 60-70% of our farm income.  COVID-19 forced us to cancel all our events since March resulting in an enormous loss of revenue from ticket sales. At the same time, we found ourselves having to refund thousands of dollars in cancelations. To make matters worse, the Durham Farmer’s Market, the only place where we normally sell our dairy products, got closed. Obviously, we needed a “COVID” pivot plan and quick. Thankfully, Durham got our back.

“As soon as everything shut down, we had a short window of time to transition from farmer market sales to an online ordering system for pick-up and delivery.

“We created an online store, but we didn’t have a convenient pick-up location. That’s when Olivia Gray, a big fan of our goats and also general manager at West End Wine Bar, offered us the patio at their Durham location as a pick-up spot. Every Saturday from 10A to 12P, our customers pick-up their pre-paid orders and they can also get a bottle of wine or beer to go from West End.

“Two weeks into “COVID” mode, and with the support of RAFI-USA (the Rural Advancement Foundation International), we teamed up with three farms: Sankofa Farms, Pine Knot Farms, and HTS Farms to provide organic produce, free-range eggs, and pasture-raised beef. This collaboration added a lot of value to our online store, and at the same time, we were able to help our collaborators move their products since these farms aren’t set up for online sales or delivery distribution.

“In addition to its commitment to supporting environmentally sound small farms, RAFI is also committed to supporting programs that make fresh food accessible to underserved populations. The best part of our collaboration with RAFI and our farmers is that we can provide weekly fresh groceries to 14 families in need through El Centro Hispano in Durham.

“In addition, folks experiencing food insecurity at this time can reach out for a Double Bucks code to get produce, eggs, and beef at a discounted price. The Double Bucks program is funded in its entirety by RAFI.

“We are extremely lucky to have the support of our customers and looking ahead, we want to continue, and maybe even expand, our collaboration with local farms. But we’re also anxious to bring back our farm events since they represent our largest source of revenue.

“In some way or another, we’ll bring back our farm dinners, painting events, and farm tours, and we’re also working on adding a farm stand and maybe even ice-cream (Oh, snap! That was a secret!). Our tentative timeline is the end of June or early July.

“Until we re-open, you can support our farm and our goats by purchasing our products and merchandise from our website, by following our goats on Facebook and Instagram, and by telling all your friends about us. If you would like to make a donation for the goats, you can do so HERE. You can also sign up to our mailing list on our website.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:

“If you are a farmer in need of finding new markets for your products, contact RAFI and explain the challenges that you are having, and concisely ask how they can help you. If you are a person in a position to make a financial contribution to help RAFI achieve its mission of protecting the future of local food, you can donate HERE.”

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