Gray Raven Farm to Reopen This Weekend
The Bergerons specialize in goat's milk products and honey from the farm's apiary.
Dan and Sharon Bergeron, owners of the 551 North Main St. farm, have been busy sprucing up the farmstand and reimagining their business after a brief hiatus. They are reopening the farm with a renewed focus on goat's milk and honey products.
"We took some time and restructured a little bit and we are coming back with a lot more of our original handmade products like the goat milk soap and honey lotion," Dan Bergeron said. "We got away from that for a while."
The Bergerons took over Gray Raven Farm in February, leaving their North Adams home and trying a fresh start in Lanesborough. Dan said there was a need to expand after a simple hobby became more of a career.
"We started out just homesteading, and we had a few goats to provide our own milk and a few bees to provide us with some honey," he said. "It just kept growing so we started making the soap and other products with all the extra we had."
Sharon said after a few appearances at farmers markets and craft fairs, their products gained a following. The soap varieties range from oatmeal to lemon hops to watermelon, along with an unscented version. Lotions come in four varieties -- citronella, honey oatmeal, lavender and unscented. Customers can also buy honey by the jar, ranging from $4 to $30.
"I always used to use goat milk soap. I'm 69 and my skin looks pretty good," she said. "After a while, I wanted to make my own. When I started, I would give it away and asked people what they liked. The final product now has a bit of a following."
Goat's milk from the farm's "well-loved, well fed, happy dairy goats" and honey are cornerstones in the Bergerons' business of soaps and lotions. Sharon said she wants to expand with more bath products such as goat's milk bath bombs and even candy and sweets such as goat's milk fudge.
Dan said they pride themselves in their strict adherence to a pure product natural in every sense of the word.
"All our handcrafted products ... everything we do," he said. "We don't add preservatives or chemicals we want to keep it natural because we use it, too ... we want to provide a quality product."
Sharon said this weekend will be a glimpse of what's to come at Gray Raven Farm and she hopes it continues to expand.
"We are going to have some other vendors here with antiques, our soaps, lotions and honey," she said. "I want to grow this."
The farm reopens this Saturday, Oct. 7, at 9 a.m. and will be open Thursday through Sunday through the winter from 9 to 5. The farm store also offers a variety of other crafted items and seasonal produce.
More information can be found on the farm's website, which also offers online shopping.
Tags: artisans & crafters, farming,
