01: Diversifying the Family Farm, Building Partnerships, & Achievement in Agriculture
In the first episode of the Raising the Barn podcast, I’m talking with Kevin and Shelby Lussier, owners of Hawthorne Creek Creamery in Florida. But they are not only accomplished young farmers and entrepreneurs, they also happen to be my cousins. Kevin grew up on a 150 cow farm in Hawthorne, Florida with his parents Matt and Linda and sister Samantha. After college, Kevin and his wife Shelby, moved back to the family farm to continue the tradition of milking cows - and in doing so, were inspired to diversify the family farm business by starting a creamery and making artisan cheese.
Some of the questions we chat about:
When did Kevin and Shelby come up with the idea of diversifying the family farm and how long of a process was it for them to go from the idea for a creamery to production?
Knowing what they know now, what, if anything, would they have done differently when they were first starting to market Hawthorne Creek Creamery?
In 3 short years, they've been able to build some amazing partnerships across Florida with supplying cheese to Spurrier's Gridiron Grille and now Publix - did they face any challenges with growing so quickly and how did they overcome them?
As someone with a marketing background who also leads marketing for Hawthorne Creek Creamery - what has been one of Shelby's favorite marketing campaigns or channels that she has used to reach their customers?
When it comes to marketing their products, almost all farmers are challenged with facing the misconceptions and misinformation that consumers have about farming. As someone who has lived almost his entire life on a farm - what are Kevin's thoughts on how farmers can educate their consumers?
Kevin and Shelby were just recognized by the American Farm Bureau Federation in the top 10 for the Achievement in Agriculture competition. And Kevin is also serving as President of the Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers leadership group this year. What has involvement in an organization like the Farm Bureau done for them?
What's on the Hawthorne Creek Creamery marketing plan for 2022?
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Mentioned in this episode:
http://www.hawthornecreekcreamery.com
https://www.instagram.com/hawthornecreekcreamery/
https://www.instagram.com/thefarmersfeed/
American Farm Bureau Federation https://www.fb.org/
https://www.floridafarmbureau.org/news/alachua-county-farm-couple-wins-coveted-statewide-honor/