Growing an urban farming business in Philadelphia: Christa Barfield – Technical.ly
‘The aggregate of it all is amazing’: FarmerJawn’s Christa Barfield on growing an urban farming business
The Germantown native is expanding from a CSA to CornerJawn produce stores, but funding is an ongoing challenge. Tune in to the final episode of the audio documentary “Thriving” to hear her story.
WORDS BY NICHOLE CURRIE, EDITED BY JULIE ZEGLEN
JANUARY 26, 2024
If you live in Philadelphia, there’s a chance you’ve heard of FarmerJawn.
“And the really cool thing is … a campaign called ‘reimagining the corner store’ … visit their website at Farmer Jawn …“
FamerJawn is a business that runs a CSA — a community-supported agriculture program that supplies seasonal produce to Philadelphians. And if you know this CSA, you probably know the brains behind the operation.
Christa Barfield: Christa Barfield, and I am a farmer, CEO, and founder of FarmerJawn Agriculture.
Christa was raised in Germantown. She remembers growing up with a variety of fruits and vegetables in her house. But when Christa looked around her own neighborhood, she saw that those options were not affordable or accessible in her community. So, Christa became a farmer. At 30 years old, she started Viva Leaf Tea, an organic tea company. And then at 32, she started FarmerJawn and shortly took over greenhouses in Elkins Park. Just last year, she opened a storefront called FarmerJawn Greenery.