Rural Missouri - September 2019 - 20

From seed to still
Richmond farm and distillery ﬁnds its niche

by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop

alking through his orchard on a hot
summer day, Jim Pierce quickly points
out the varieties of apple and pear trees
dotting the northwest Missouri farm.
What started as herb, vegetable and ﬂower gardens

RURAL MISSOURI | SEPTEMBER 2019

when his family ﬁrst moved to Ray County nearly annually.
"The animals are really enjoyable," says Sarah,
30 years ago has turned into a rolling landscape
where these fruit trees are just the beginning of an whose family farm included hogs, cattle and row
crops. "When you're out there every day, you get
impressive operation.
Jim and Sarah Pierce own Of The Earth Farm + to know who's who and have different interactions.
Distillery where they raise fruits, vegetables, live- It's very peaceful."
Jim
"borrowed"
his
mother,
Patricia's,
stock and distill spirits. They use their homegrown
produce or partner with small, 320-square-foot art studio for distilling for the ﬁrst
local farmers as much as pos- few years. Jim and Sarah expanded their line of
sible to create unique, delecta- spirits in the room, 2 miles down a gravel road from
ble products that are distinctly Highway 13. Their distillery opened in earnest in
December 2012.
Missouri.
As more and more customers discovered Of The
The Pierces backgrounds
have prepared them for both Earth, an expansion and tasting room was needthe traditional and nontradi- ed. They secured a property right on the highway
tional agriculture at their farm. and again with the help of MASBDA, renovated a
"It's just an interest in doing 1,500-square-foot building to house the distillery
things that seem interesting," and tasting room which opened in May 2018.
The fruit at the farm works triple duty. It's sold
Jim says. "I've always liked to
grow stuff and Sarah grew up for fresh eating at the tasting room or City Market
in Kansas City, it's sold wholesale to a Kansas Cityon a traditional farm."
With the exception of a area food cooperative and used to create Of The
few hogs, the orchard was Earth's premium products.
Almost everything in the tasting room is made
the focus of the farm when
Jim and his father, also Jim, from produce grown on property or from small
attended a fruit growers' con- farmers, local if possible. "These collaborations
ference a little more than a open up who we are exposed to and helps us do
decade ago. One of the presen- better overall," Jim says.
Blackberries come from Lathrop, extra apples
tations was on adding value to
tree fruit through distillation. from Waverly, rye from Odessa and beets are grown
The wheels in younger Jim's onsite for distilling. "We can't grow raspberries in
Missouri, so I go to New York," Jim says. "But it's
head began turning.
The Pierces partnered with still from a small network of farmers there."
Hungry in the tasting room? Order a charcutethe Missouri Agricultural &
Small Business Development rie board which includes Of The Earth cured meat,
Authority (MASBDA) to utilize kimchi made in Kearney and bread from Kansas
a grant to complete a feasibility City served on a Missouri-made platter. "We're not
study, marketing and business just talking about sourcing local, we're doing it,"
plans. "At that point there were Jim says.
Apple Brandy and Pommeau are their signature
only 12 or so license holders
in the state," Jim says of the spirits. The ﬂagship brandy starts with a blend of
distilling license. "Now we're the apples they have available and is aged for two
years in Higbee barrels. "A lot of people thought
approaching 70."
With the studies and plans the Apple Brandy would be sweet, because there
in place, Jim began using his are some on the market like that, but ours is not"
fruit to test recipes for apple Sarah says. "The Pommeau is our answer to that."
brandy. The distilling process Pommeau is a blend of the Apple Brandy and apple
leaves behind spent mash cider that is rested in the used barrels.
Other popular options include the
which is high in proraspberry and blackberry liqueurs
tein with no energy.
as well as the Doña Fida, a coffee
He thought the mash
liqueur made with coffee from a
could diversify the diet
Guatemalan farm.
Richmond
of his hogs and offset feed
Jim says the farm is transparcosts.
ent in what ingredients are used
"Coincidentally at that
and shies away from maniputime, I made contact with a
lating the ﬂavors. "There may
new restaurant that wanted
be a little bit of a variance
to be 'tip to tail,' " Jim says.
depending on a batch of ber"That market ﬁts us really
ries or something," he says. "That's OK. We're not
nice."
Of The Earth was starting to industrial. It's about discovering the pleasure of
take shape and the Farmers' understanding the nuance."
For Jim and Sarah, discovering those pleasures
Electric Cooperative members
began scaling up incremental- is a shared experience. From a part-time distiller
ly. They added Berkshire hogs brought on board to family helping label bottles or
and Katahdin sheep to advance work the farm to partnerships with fellow farmers,
their livestock population, now they don't want to be in this alone.
"It's lifting all ships," Sarah says. "There's lots of
raising 70 hogs and 15 sheep
small producers around that do a really good job.
Left: Jim inspects parts of the orchard But they don't have as easy of access to the market
which produces fruit he sells to as the big guys do. But if we all work together, we
consumers and distills into high-quality can actually make a go of it."
spirits in northwestern Missouri.
Above left: Jim and Sarah Pierce
For more information on Of The Earth Farm +
opened Of The Earth Farm + Distillery Distillery visit them online at www.oftheearthfarm.
in 2012 and expanded with a tasting com, email info@oftheearthfarm.com or call 660room in 2018.
232-1096.

http://www.oftheearthfarm.com http://www.oftheearthfarm.com

Rural Missouri - September 2019

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