Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Mitchell.
Hi Lauren , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story started very young i was raised by my mother. Her being a single parent we often lived in low income areas. Growing up i noticed a difference in what was available were we lived compared to other areas we would visit. As i got older i always had a passion for helping people and finding beauty in things others didn’t. I went to college for photography and fell in love with street photography. As i was going around the city i noticed liquor stores were prevalent. But not many places to buy quality food at a reasonable price. Years later after falling in love with my wonderful husband Steve Ramasocky we moved in together and started transforming our small backyard into a market farm. It all started with one raised bed and a dream of helping others through food. Now we own and operate City Roots farm out of our city backyard. By 2027 we will be selling at local farmers markets and providing affordable healthy food options. The dream is to have delivery services to help people without transportation. Expand to have more land to help as many people as possible. Offer educational gatherings to the community on how to grow food in the space you have.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I always say the road has had a few potholes. I struggled with how to save enough money to start everything. Raised beds cost of seeds. Living in Michigan most things are started indoors so the back room was turned into the seed starting area. Getting the timing down on when to start seeds and then transplant all the plants outside. The biggest challenge was mentally just believing in myself. That i could do this and make a difference. I’m so thankful to my husband, mother and beautiful friends for pushing me to keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
City roots farm is a passion project me and my husband Steve started. We believe everyone should have access to healthy food options. We grow everything we can in a small footprint one city lot backyard. It’s only us doing the work right now. We are most proud of growing some fabulous greens and Detroit golden beets and finally mastering the carrots. I would love everyone to know we are going to be debuting our City Roots salad mix next season. Along with other fresh produce options. I hope to be able to offer delivery services in the next year as well.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I hope that you support your local farmer’s markets and volunteer to help your community as much as you can. Give back be the change.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Cityr00tsfarm
