An Evening with the Beekman Boys
Last Thursday evening we had a nice surprise! I noticed an ad on my computer
that I really couldn’t believe. The Beekman Boys were going to be in Asheboro, NC for
an event to sponsor the organization ‘Friends of the Library.’ What was even more shocking
was the fact that it was that evening! It was a free event, first come first serve seating. So, we basically dropped what we were doing, and headed forty-five minutes south to Asheboro, NC.
I soon realized that Brent was originally from Asheboro, so this was a homecoming for him.
They gave a very entertaining talk titled “The Ten Things We Learned from Goats.”
It is easy to see the success, but listening to Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell discuss how they purchased their beautiful home, and nearly lost it when they both lost their jobs in 2008, helps you realize that nothing has come easy to anyone. If you see someone successful, they have worked for it. We see the books, the products, the TV shows, etc, but what we didn’t see was the six years of struggle trying to make it happen. The public saw Brent on the Martha Stewart Show, but if you weren’t from New York, they explained that you didn’t understand just how bad the economy got during the recession and the 2008 crash, or how hard it hit New York City and Wall Street. Many people lost their businesses or their jobs, and Brent and Josh were not immune. They had to learn how to do everything at their farm, and they lovingly describe how the community of Sharon Springs, NY, embraced them, and how its residence helped them learn to run the farm, raise goats, make soap, cheese, etc.
Their passion for their community was evident during every aspect of their talk.
It is inspiring to see how the community helped them get a fresh start, then in turn how they have helped their community by drawing tourism in during their harvest festival, their farm tours, by hiring local artisans to help create their product, and by maintaining their property as a working farm.
On a wider, more national scale, they have created a product called the Mortgage Lifter Pasta Sauce.
The fact that they nearly lost their farm has created a drive in them to help other small farms keep their property. Twenty-five percent of the profit from the pasta sauce goes to a fund that helps make mortgage payments on small farms. In addition, they hire out all the ingredients to create the sauce. Meaning that the tomatoes, garlic, herbs, etc, are all grown by small farms in the United States.
Target is now carrying this product which is made in the U.S, grown in the U.S., and benefits small farms. It is amazing to see that it is now available in a national chain store.
They asked everyone to go to Target and take a selfie with the sauce
while they are in the store- They called it a #shelfie
They then forward it to Target to show them the reaction to the product.
We added the hashtags #BeekmanBoys #Beekman1802Boys #MortgageLifter #Target
Here are the cookbooks I purchased at the event! The proceeds from the sale went to support the Friends of the Library. They look great, and I can’t wait to start using them! (Just in case you don’t have a Target near you, but would like to contribute to helping farmer’s pay off their mortgages, here is a link for the sauce, however, it is cheaper at Target!)
