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Focus on Co-op
Suppliers: Cayuga Pure Organics Loca-beans!
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by Suzanne Fisher
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Honest Weight Food Co-op
now is able to offer organic, New York-grown pinto beans, red beans,
black beans, hard spring wheat and spelt in the bulk section. The farm
growing these items, Cayuga Pure Organics, is located in Brooktendale,
a hilly village 10 minutes outside of Ithaca. Founded by Erick Smith
and Dan Lathwell, this farm began selling dried beans and grains in
2003. This past growing season they harvested 70,000 lbs. of dried
beans and 20,000 lbs. of grains.
Cayuga Pure Organics was founded when Erick and Dan saw a niche that
wasn't being filled. In 2003, Erick was planning to go into organic
production of seed and feed for dairy animals, but Greenstar Coop in
Ithaca encouraged the farm to grow dried beans for human consumption
instead, and made a commitment to buy from them if they did. After
consideration, Erick and Dan liked the idea of focusing primarily on
growing food for people, and from 2005 through 2007 they supplied beans
and grains to restaurants and markets in the Ithaca area. They then
realized that in order to support the investment and upkeep of their
farming and cleaning equipment, they needed to find markets beyond the
Ithaca area.
Cayuga Pure Organics now sells their produce through Regional Access,
which has put their beans and grains on the shelves and tables of
co-ops, small markets and restaurants throughout New York State. They
still supply Ithaca with beans and grains, and are beginning to work
with CSAs in their region. This year they have begun to market their
goods at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. Looking ahead
to the future, they are working with another farm to set up a mill for
grinding flour from their grains. Under the trade name "Farmer-ground,"
their flour is expected to be available from them for distribution in
several months.
The farm grows on 500 acres--its own land and on other nearby
properties that they either lease or barter with produce. In the past,
some of the land was "transitional"; 2009 is the first year that the
land is entirely organic. Because the terrain is hilly in Brooktendale,
finding relatively level land for growing is challenging. They plant
anywhere from 2- to 10-acre plots. The farm is operated by four
full-time workers, including Erick and Dan and several part-timers, as
well as extra labor in the busy season.
One integral part of the farm is what everyone calls the "Beanery" --
an old barn housing the equipment for cleaning, drying and storing the
beans and grains. This includes grain bins, a conveyor belt, screen
cleaners for sorting, a bucket elevator, a gravity table for sorting by
density and gravity bins. The beans are harvested after the first frost
by combine and put into bins to dry them using fans, and propane heat
if needed. Then, they are cleaned and sorted for sale. Grains are
treated in the same manner, but are harvested in summer.
Cayuga Pure Organics is unique in the way that their development was
encouraged by their local co-op. By providing a commitment, this co-op
enabled the farm to move forward in a new direction. Erick says that
that by industry standards, Cayuga Pure Organics is still a small farm,
and he does not want to expand much more. He is looking forward to
providing flour, however, and when he talks about the farm, one gets
the impression that in future years there will be more innovations
coming from their evolving business.
If you are in the Ithaca area, Shamus Clancey, who takes care of
marketing for the farm, says they welcome visitors. He suggests that
you call first to make sure that someone is around to give you a tour.
The Cayuga Pure Organics website-- with contact information, pictures
and news--is www.cporganics.com.
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