In partnership with UC Food Observer: The UC Food Observer is your daily serving of must-read news from the world of food, curated by the University of California. Follow on Twitter.
Annie Haven
With more than 160 years of farming and ranching, the Haven family has grown deep roots in the state of California. However, the biggest product coming from the Haven farm these days isn't produce, or even the grass-fed beef. It's the manure teas processed from the cows, along with the farm's horses and alfalfa.
Annie Haven, great great grand-daughter of the company founder, has made quite a name for herself with these teas. Authentic Haven Brand soil conditioning teas have been featured in media like Better Homes & Gardens and Country Gardens, as well as 16 garden books. Today, she is well-known throughout the gardening world and is a popular speaker.
As many farmers branch out into other products, such as cottage foods or farm tourism, I spoke with owner Annie Haven to see what advice she might be able to share.
Tell us a bit about your family's farming and ranching history in Southern California, Annie. The Haven family has been around for a while, haven't they?
The Haven Seed Company was founded in Michigan in 1853 by my great-great grandfather George W. Haven, and was incorporated by my great grandfather Edwin Haven in 1873.
Editor's Note: George Haven's brother was Erastus O. Haven, president of University of Michigan, starting in 1863. Haven Hall was named in honor of him.
The search for good soil eventually brought the seed company's growing operation to California in 1904.
Our family company had growing operations in Lodi, the San Joaquin Valley and down to Santa Ana, San Juan Capistrano and San Onofre in Southern California. The Haven Seed Company warehouse - where produce was crushed for seed, dried and packaged - was located on Edinger in Santa Ana.
The seed warehouse was specifically engineered and designed by my Grandfather Archibald Haven (and built by the Flour Brothers). There weren't any air conditioning or heating in those days, so climate control was extremely important. Granddad designed the building with honeycomb walls, making it perfect for drying seed.
Haven Seed Company || Photo courtesy of the Orange County Historical Society
The family company grew produce for seed, and shipped to customers like D. Landreth Seed, Atlee Burpee and Compstock Ferre, to name just a few. The Haven Seed Company became a world leader in the seed trade industry.
Our specialty crop was tomatoes and we grew more than 90 varieties.
How was the Authentic Haven Brand Moo Poo Tea born? As a rancher and farmer, what made you decide to branch out into other areas?
Haven Seed Company Brothers, 1920.
Manure tea was my family's source of nourishing the soil. There is the saying in the Haven family that It's All About the Soil - from our pastures to our fields. Without viable soil you have nothing.
We harvested manure from horses and mules, which pulled equipment through the fields, as well as livestock raised to feed the workers. The manure was harvested, processed, packaged and then brewed in large tanks to flood irrigate the nutrients back into the soil.
As large-scale growers of seed, for the wholesale trade, manure tea made it possible to maintain the nutrient level needed to raise produce and ensure quality seed crops season after season.
Haven Seed Company scaled back in 1968, due to a lack of water needed to sustain a large-scale growing operation. We were also being squeezed by development moving into Southern California.
My father Paul Ives Haven continued farming and ranching on a smaller scale. He marketed his produce, citrus and hay through our roadside stand at the ranch in San Juan Capistrano. Customers visiting the stand would often ask how he was able to produce such high quality produce without the use of herbicides.
It was at that time we knew there was a new market for our premium soil conditioner teas. I started selling Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew premium soil conditioner teas to the local market (as a brewed product). The age of the internet dot com opened up a new store front for me, which gave me access to specialty growers and home gardeners.
Before I could reach that market, however, I had to create the packaging you know today as Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew premium soil conditioner teas. (Pre-brewed tea does not have an extended shelf life, so this product is brewed, as needed, by the user.)
Originally, the manure tea bags for large-scale production looked like large pillow cases. But I knew I had to reduce the size of that packaging to make it consumer friendly. I wanted customers to brew Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew fresh for their gardens, just as we did for our growing fields. There was a lot of work involved to create the right packaging, which would be consumer friendly for the houseplant enthusiast, home gardener and large specialty grower.
What advice would you share with other farmers and ranchers, who are looking to expand into supplemental product areas?
It's important to know your product and your customer base. Reach your customers via roadside stands, farmers markets and specialty events. Get your product into the hands of consumers and listen to their feedback.
Don't take negative feedback personal; instead use it to enhance your product. What has worked for you, may not work for the consumer, so their feedback is extremely important. Grow slowly. Don't quit your day job, and remember you may have to take on a second job to accomplish your goals.
You personally reach a lot of people via social media - including nearly 15,000 on Twitter and about 6,000 on your personal and business Facebook pages. This social media has turned into considerable exposure for y
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
07/05/2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New findings from Hub Entertainment Research provides extensive data showing that the majority of consumers will opt for lower cost ad-supporte...
07/05/2024
NEW YORK The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) has announced th...
07/05/2024
CBS News has named Lindsey Reiser an anchor and correspondent for CBS News 24/7, the network's live, streaming news service. Reiser, who was most recently a...
07/05/2024
NEEDHAM, Mass. After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24),...
07/05/2024
ESPN is reporting that April was a record-setting month as the network delivered its best April prime time audience on record, dating back more than 30 years....
07/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Kirsten Donaldson has joined NAB as vice president of public policy. Donaldso...
07/05/2024
The Bulls are back home again this week from May 7-12! Don't miss out on any...
06/05/2024
By Ilyse McKimmie
Now, more than ever
That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...
06/05/2024
Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact mu...
06/05/2024
Spotify is making it easier for booklovers to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a new audiobook releases. With Countdown Pages for audioboo...
06/05/2024
Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journ...
06/05/2024
In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...
06/05/2024
L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...
06/05/2024
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
Brie Clayton May 6, 2024
0 Comments
New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Kobus busts Pretty in a compromising positionDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem Saam on SA...
06/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Bra Zakes and Sphamandla agree to leave Tembisa and n...
06/05/2024
RT has announced details of its coverage across digital, TV and Radio in the ru...
06/05/2024
For years, radio stations have used on-premises servers to broadcast content and manage automation, traffic, and billing systems. As technology continues to adv...
06/05/2024
06 May 2024
AI and Big Data Take the Centre Stage in Central Asia at Beetech 20...
06/05/2024
FIRST LOOK AT JIM PARSONS & MAYIM BIALIK REPRISING THEIR ROLES FROM THE BIG BAN...
06/05/2024
NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Extend Historic Partnership, Kentucky Derby to Be...
06/05/2024
Beverly Hills Aerials, LIV Golf Make Australian-Broadcast History by Flying Live...
06/05/2024
Back to All News
Watch the Trailer for A Part of You - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ry...
06/05/2024
Leadership in 12G-SDI for low impact migration to 4k production...
06/05/2024
Press release - 6 May 2024 07:31
STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Download as PDF
Paris, 06 May 2024 ...
06/05/2024
Tyngsboro, Mass. - May 6, 2024 - Join us at InfoComm 2024 to experience the latest advancements in live production technology. From June 12-14, 2024, at the Las...
06/05/2024
To champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, ava...
06/05/2024
Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'Talented actress Matseliso Mohale has joined SABC2's soapie Muvhango' as Vhangani's lover and a c...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury MthethoDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke...
06/05/2024
Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company at Alphabet, has integrated NVIDIA AI and Isaac platform technologies to advance the complex field of autonomous r...
06/05/2024
Cybersecurity experts at the RSA Conference this week will be on the hunt for ways to secure their operations in the era of generative AI.
They'll find man...
06/05/2024
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders?
This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
05/05/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series Roosters, Starring Jeroen ...
05/05/2024
Back to All News
Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electr...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
In partnership with UC Food Observer: The UC Food Observer is your daily serving of must-read news from the world of food, curated by the University of California. Follow on Twitter.
