Brown Bottle Farm Raiser
Our Website 
Brown Bottle Farm (BBF) is a 40 acre, half wood, half pasture, homestead in Mulino, Oregon.
We arrived April 20th, 2016 and without hesitation began to work with the thick clay soil. No reservations, and minimal funds we struggled, but put a lot of the essencials in place. It felt serendipidous. This fundraiser is to help us start our Organic CSA and renovate structures key to it's function.
The Staff
Ryan Falk, Anna Wilson, and Bud Wilson make up the Brown Bottle Farmily. Each of us offers a unique perspective.
Ryan and Anna have been together over 5 years. They're path together has been filled with herbalism, mycology, native plants, alchemy, food, and exploring Oregon whenever possible. Most recently they interned at R-evoultion gardens and North Fork 53, an Organic, off-grid farm and Bed and Breakfast in Nehalem, OR. During their time on the Oregon coast they also started a small native plant incense business, Phlox and Figwort llc. 
Bud is the singer/songwriter for Aan, a Portland based band. He is an artist and musician. You'll hear his tumbling guitar riffs fill the back acres when the day is coming to an end. He brings the creative vision and encouragement to make anything possible. He's also good with a broadfork or a drill whenever needed!
It's a great team, and along the way we look forward to getting more people involved!
The mission
Our farm won't grow food behind closed gates. On the contrary, we believe that getting people involved in their food and nature is incredibly empowering. BBF will be a place for people to learn about food and herbs, it will host events, run a Community Supported Agriculture program, and even open a Farm Store on the weekends. The mission is to bring people together over food, farm, and fun!
Goals
1. Renovate The Packing Shed!
Our produce and value added goods need a clean place to be processed and refrigerated. There is space for it, but it needs to get updated This is of highest priority.
Part one: Walk-in Cooler
Doesn't look like much in here. However, we're going to pull everything out, insulate, patch, and seal the walls, drop the ceiling, and hook up a coolbot to an AC unit. Turning this strange long hallway into a walk in cooler! A coolbot tricks the AC unit into refrigerator-like temperatures! With a sealed off and insulated room we'll have the perfect spot for lots of veggies! ($500 AC, $350 coolbot, $700 insulation, wall, and sealant)
$Estimated Cost$
$1550
For more info check out the
Coolbot Website
Part Two: Processing Kitchen
A farm needs space to work in outside of the actual house. A functional packing shed/processing kitchen is already on premisise with hot water, counters, and space. She's a fixer upper though.
We'll take out the old flooring and cabinetry, put in Stainless steel racks and counters where possible, grease resistant mats, and a Three bin Sink for soaking produce.Sounds easy right? This will help us to centralize the produce. The walk in cooler is directly across the hall from the kitch. Mats:$200, Sink: up to $600, Shelving: $200 Counters: up to $300
$Estimated Cost$
$1300
2. CSA Supplies:
Community Supported Agriculture will be an important part of BBF income. We will sell weekly shares to our community members at the beginning of the season, and in turn they will recieve fresh produce. We will begin our CSA in 2017. We'll need things like boxes, twist ties, a scale, and other tools to make it efficient and professional.
Beyond the CSA this money also helps our Market customers this season! We've started selling our produce at the Damascus Farmers Market. Getting CSA supplies now would greatly improve our market presentation. We'll need Boxes to keep produce fresh, a new canopy with proper weights (we've been using cinder blocks), a certified scale, and the packaging including canning jars, vinegars, salts, and processing equipment.
Commercial canopy: $300-$475
Packaging supplies: $200
Ties and other small gadgets:$100
Scale: $200
Canning supplies:$100
$Estimated Cost$
$1075
3. Opening a Farm Store:
A farm storeis an opportunity to get involved in your food. We're close enough to Portland that the experience of buying fresh produce straight from the farmer is very empowering and could reach a lot of locals. We have a great space for it next to our packing area inside this shop. It would be open for weekend explorers during the harvest season. Probably aligned with the weeks we have a CSA.
Imagine announcements, art, and prices on those outside walls with produce displays featuring Brown Bottle Farm food. Inside: Local handmade goods like soaps, incense, bath bombs, candles, artwork, and canned goods. Everything made near the farm or on it. Also a freezer packed with meat, and a fridge with produce and eggs.
It's gonna need Paint! Paint! and More Paint!
We also have to rebuild a wall that was removed.
Paint: $200
sheet rock and support beams:$300
Tables and display structures:$500
$Estimated Cost$
$1000
Additional projects we're interested in funding:
4. Going Organic:
Annually, Organic Certification is roughly $1000.
For the First year there are considerably higher fees to get going. To get more information on the fees of the Oregon Tilth, OTCO, you can go here:
OTCO Fee Schedule
First year
$1275 as Farmer and processor.
We don't have this first on the list although we still use the same practices. A lot of farmers can't afford the certification. It's very expensive, but our passion is in Organic and wild harvested food. If we can start the process and work towards a certification we'll be building a trust with customers who otherwise wouldn't be interested in our food. Sometimes paying for the label helps to build a relationship, and since we are new around here it might be very helpful.
5. The Classroom:
It won't take much to clean it up, there's not a lot in there yet, but we do need to finish the bathroom. That requires reinstalling the shower and sink, painting, and organizing a classroom comfortable for everyone.
Cost: $800
For You!
Your contributions mean everything to us. With this money we can stay focused on creating a functional and peaceful farm. Our wider vision includes events like live music, a harvest festival, a pumpkin patch, movies on the barn, barn bingo, and all sorts of wonderful and fun events. Not to mention our CSA and Farm Store!
Please check out our Brown Bottle Farm CSA and Phlox & Figwort rewards for your generous donations! We are really looking forward to growing food for you! Thank you sincerely,
Brown Bottle Farm Staff,
Anna Wilson and Ryan Falk