When it rains, it pours... Bridge Update #1
- A Call for help, our fall update, and an upcoming important event!!
This newsletter is in a new section focused on Bridge updates. This section is separate from our regular announcements. If you want to keep up with our recovery and fundraising efforts then this is the place to do it.
Subscribers, if you’d like to opt out of these updates you can do that via your settings in Substack. Everyone reading this online can skip to the bottom of the online version of this post for the regular announcements.
How about that rain last month?
About one month ago, our corner of Connecticut was hit by historic flooding. If you live locally, especially in Newtown, you know that it was bad. A thousand year flood, they said. If you’ve seen us at any of the local farmer’s markets since then, you’ve already noticed that, as a result of the flooding, some farms were unable to return. You’ve already heard that while our business wasn’t impacted in the same way as some other farms, we still didn’t fare well…
The reason it matters to our business
Two days before this storm, we purchased land. Land that we intended to be the future home of Mushroom Microfarm. We were moving because we can no longer continue operation at our current location. We either need to move or shut down.
So we found land. To close on the deal, we stretched. Using money we borrowed, facing a price beyond our reach, and construction and renovation costs that would ask us to grow more even before beginning.
So when the bridge leading onto the land (pictured above) was destroyed, it was a big deal.
It trapped the sellers and their many horses on the land and, more importantly, it meant that the seed money for Mushroom Microfarm’s new production facility might need to go toward a bridge instead. And not soon, yesterday.
More details coming
In this new section of our newsletter devoted to bridge updates, we’ll speak more about what we’ve done to move forward so far. As well as exactly what we need to do to continue. If you’re interested, keep reading this email series. We also have a place to accept donations.
If you’d like to opt out of these updates you can do that via your settings in Substack. You can also skip to the bottom of the online version of this post for regular announcements.
Long story short, the bridge onto our new land was destroyed before we could move onto the land and build, we built a temporary bridge (with lots of help), and then we decided to do what any business headed by millennials might do in this situation. We decided to have a festival about it.
Enter Bridge Fest - a call for community help
Bridge Fest is a gathering of folks who care about Mushroom Microfarm that is meant to raise money to build the bridge that was destroyed. It will have onsite parking, food trucks, vendors, live music, live art, an auction, and very possibly, merchandise from our rebrand that we never got around to sharing because of everything else. *gestures at the destroyed bridge
Bridge Fest is happening November 9th and we will announce information here as it becomes available.
Why we need help and how you can
Our temporary bridge will last us only one year and cannot withstand major flooding. We will (literally) have to remove it in case of high rains. And that is why we need another bridge.
We need to get established in a new location to continue growing the mushrooms and making the products you’ve come to love. You can help us in many different ways. Here they are in order of most directly helpful (aka with minimal cuts taken by outside companies):
Buy the new merchandise (when we announce it or at Bridge Fest!)
Continue to support our business at in person events while you can
Continue to support our business at our site when the season ends
Connect us with videographers, graphic designers, artists, musicians, trustworthy contractors, chefs, DJs! We’re looking for a lot of different people for future projects. You can email us at mushroommicrofarm[at]gmail or respond to this post
Go to Bridge Fest! (We will announce more about that here!)
Keep following this journey here to see what’s next for us. I’ll post updates in this separate section of the newsletter list. Please share it with interested folks.
Gratitude - thank you for where we are today and where we’re going
Soon in this newsletter we will post a comprehensive list of which organizations, people, and companies have either helped us or served us as we built the temporary bridge. Our donation page will also update in real time as we receive donations. But I wanted to take the time to thank some folks here:
The person who lets us operate on their land currently
The person who loaned us the money to acquire the land where we hope to put the new production facility
Everyone who helped us get the temporary bridge in place
Everyone who will help us build the new bridge
Our customers that trust us with their wellness
Everyone who listened to/advised us in the immediate aftermath
And also:
The investors who will join us to build the production facility
Everyone that will help us build the new facility
Every grower that will band together with us to keep mushroom production local, sustainable, and healthy for our communities
The artists, chefs, body workers, dancers, creators that have danced with us, and those we haven’t danced with yet
Our growing community, today and tomorrow.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
As long as our community, local and beyond, continues to value what we are creating we will keep creating it and in the way that respects connections to the earth and humans.
A regular Mushie update
Just like every year at this time (it’s been two years, y’all!) the fresh mushroom season is about to slow down considerably then stop.
Dates for the final markets:
Newtown Farmer’s Market - Oct 29th
Trumbull Farmer’s Market - Oct 10th
Sport Hill Farm in Easton - end of December
*note: our fresh mushroom production may end before the final market at Sport Hill Farm
As always, we update these in-person events in real time on our Google Calendar which lives on our Events Page.
Many of you get your tinctures regularly at the markets…
There are a few ways to keep your tinctures coming, even when there are no markets.
If you live local, you can order them on our website and we’ll deliver them to your door free of charge. (Yes. Really!) If you live outside of our delivery range (the site automatically calculates this) we’ll ship it to you with a small shipping charge.
We hear that our delivery is fast regardless of how we get it to you.
If you want your tinctures to come without fuss, we’ve made it so that you can set up a subscription and then forget about it! A discount is built into all subscriptions, regardless how many tinctures you need, so it is the most competitive price for our tinctures regardless of shipping charges.
To set up a subscription go to our shop and select your tinctures, the same as always, then choose the new subscription option.
Subscribing is the way to ensure your tincture will never be back-ordered as we’ll maintain a separate stock for subscriptions. You’d be surprised how often and how quickly we sell out! You only haven’t noticed as we’ve done well restocking.
If you love our tinctures and want to support us in our time of need subscriptions are a great way to help.
In summary
We are moving!
To move and continue doing business, we need to build a bridge and then a warehouse.
Our growing season for the year is about to slow down and then stop.
You can get your tinctures online and even set up subscriptions to get them sent directly to you.
Hoping you and family are safe. See you in the next update!
I will be following the bridge and property story!