We're a small team with
BIG IDEAS
to create an innovative, local agriculture system.
Food is my most sacred currency
Makena whitaker: Co-founder
Around the Bend Farms is my calling.
My goal has always been to spread joy and success within a new non-profit endeavor. I want to keep flourishing gardens in Central Oregon so that families can live in an abundance of agriculture.
One of my favorite activities of being a dietitian is trialing new vegetables and fruits in a cooking workshop environment. I like integrating new cultivars into American and Mediterranean dishes to increase fiber and nutrients into classic American diets. Food is my most sacred currency. I am always cooking and baking to share the fruits of my labor with my community.
I am a down-to-earth person and I feel connected to the world through real relationships, strong community and my outdoor environment.
Russell Simpson: Lead designer
I think it’s critical that we help reduce the damage we do to the planet.
Indoor farming is the way of the future, and it takes ingenuity to develop the technological systems to make it work. I love innovating and improving the efficiency of hydroponic farms, and designing them to be optimized for each client and their needs.
Knowing that my work helps feed my neighbors is the best driver for my passion. Working with local organizations and businesses to help lift each of us up, together, strengthens the web of energy and life that makes a community.
Being able to improve a system, or invent an entirely new approach, are some of my greatest professional joys. The long arc of human development bends towards good & progress, and being able to stand on the shoulders of giants and raise it just a bit more is enough achievement for a human life.
The message we convey to the world is a reflection of the change we wish to make
chris fasan: co-founder
Making an impact on health and sustainability helps us achieve our potential.
Working with Around the Bend Farms, I get to leverage my storytelling and communications experience in a way that will improve peoples lives. Having goals for the greater good as our driving agenda is both refreshing and inspiring to me.
In my experience, improving your diet can make a significant impact on your health and wellbeing. Increasing access to the right foods and educating others on the benefits and importance is essential work that desperately needs doing, and I’m proud to be part of a passionate, talented team of like-minded individuals who are all pushing to make these things happen.
What we are doing can be completely reproduced locally and globally
ben marsh: Ceo and co-founder
We are the dreamers, and so we have a responsibility to create the world we envision.
I'm humbled each day by the amazing people in our organization who help shape the present development and imagined future of Around The Bend Farms, and they remind me to always trust the power of relationship. We are creating everything we do from a "seed crystal" of imagination, passion, talent, collaboration, patience and focus. It's all really a labor of love, and not about getting "somewhere" or marketing a product at light speed.
The new face of farming we are creating is being built upon ancient methods, and all we're doing is incorporating our unique twist on modern, innovative, and community-oriented processes. This hybrid food system that we envision incorporates local collaborators directly in the planning, design and integration process. We always need to remember that farming and gardening was born from community, cultures, family, and local endeavors to consistently and effectively feed each other healthy food for generations.
Our passion is to bring our community a truly local & interactive food system
“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
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