04/23/2026
Story time. (Love story, farmers market edition🌽❤️)
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4 years ago I was getting ready for a produce season that would change my life. Ellen Roufs was just the name of one of my CSA customers in Lincoln, and I was grinding out some serious hours between farming and tiny house construction.
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Flash forward to October, and that same gal wrote me a letter. It read something to the effect of, "We can't just be friends anymore. I didn't just buy your produce all summer for the fun of it."
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Thank God (seriously, thank you Jesus) for inspiring that bold move.
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3 years ago we were starting to talk about engagement as we got ready for our first produce season together. Enter the side hustle: switchel.
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What started as a fun end-of-table beverage quickly became just as important to our business as produce was (no surprise here, Ellen is a far better entrepreneur). People loved the old fashioned roots, and many customers came back week after week to, "get some more of that gut stuff, it worked wonders!"
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2 years ago we were newlywed & still scrambling to finish the tiny house, this summer with baby Jo on the way. The urgency dial was now at a 9.9, and a 3rd trimester summer developed a newfound respect for my wife.
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One of the best things we did for our family that year was scale back on CSA's and launch the farm stand. We didn't sell as much, but Hintz Produce was more lean, more focused, and less scattered. In typical Ben fashion, we finished the tiny house the week Joanna was born🙃
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Last year we took a gamble by hiring my best friend, Joel (more on that next time, but gosh we are so grateful for him). We quickly realized more help was essential to the growth and goals we had for our expanding family and diversifying farm, which also meant we were responsible for another 4 humans. No small thing.
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So we built. And built. And are still building. And don't really see a light at the end of the 'building' tunnel, which many days has been overwhelming. But it's also exciting. Hopeful. Empowering. Rejuvenating, and so much more.
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This year is a lot of new... New Made Whole Farms/Food Co. Still not sure where that leaves Hintz Produce😂. 2 families of 4, geothermal greenhouse, 2 high tunnels, more switchel, more markets, more produce (than maybe ever?) ▪︎ All of that said, we couldn't do this without you. You our friends, our family and our community. The word customers feels too impersonal for the blood sweat and tears we are pouring into our livelihood right now. Thank you. Please keep sending us your love. We are striving to do the same.
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Want to join the journey?
🌱 Sign up for our CSA
👩🌾 Work a market with us
🚜 Hang out/help at the farm
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We are humbly reminded that this whole feeding our corner of the world deal is too big of a lift to do alone. We pray the love from our family continues to bear fruit in all of your lives. The best is yet to come💪🙏
