Might be more accurate to say "bought a farm," sorry. And, to be clear, it's in Oregon.
Nicky USA, a specialty meat distributor founded by butcher Geoff Latham 20 years ago, purchased a 30-acre, certified organic farm outside Aurora, near Portland. Latham's company plans to raise their own products (rabbits, game birds, and other unique animals) for top chefs across the Northwest.
Before he got into the butcher's trade, before he started the food distribution business, Latham was a farmer himself. The newly-acquired property, dubbed Nicky Farm, is located on the meandering Pudding River half an hour south of Portland. The landscape is home to flocks of geese and quail, among other wildlife, and features both a century-old farmhouse and a barn similar to one that already appears on the Nicky Farms logo.
The first animals Latham will raise on the farm will be rabbits ("our keystone protein," Latham says), which the company began selling in 1991. But success didn't come overnight. The Nicky Farms brand didn't start until 2009; Latham expanded to Seattle just last year.
"I am lucky to have established my business in a place with some of the nation's best chefs and locavores who are excited about locally grown high quality protein. Because of them I am now able to fulfill my life-long dream of growing my own meat on my own farm," says Latham.
In addition to acting as a working farm, Nicky USA will host chefs and interested eaters for farm dinners, hunting trips, boating on the river and tours of the property, with the goal of deepening the connection between the farm and tables across the Northwest. Look for a public event this summer.
Leave a comment