Invest in Good. Local. Food.

AFI Welcomes New Portfolio Company

Austin Foodshed Investors is excited to welcome Back to the Garden to the AFI Portfolio! Owner John Stanley has been farming in Wimberly since 2017 and produces diversified fruits and vegetables for Farmers' Markets, restaurants, and other direct sales outlets. We've been working with Back to the Garden for the past couple months to figure out how best to scale their business. Together, we think we've honed in on it and provided funding for a working capital loan to get John and his team to the next level. We're really excited to be partnering up with such a great business producing some seriously excellent food.

AFI Portfolio Company News

Seal the Seasons Expands to Pacific Northwest Seal The Seasons, is expanding to the Pacific Northwest. They will procure from regional farmers, process regionally, and distribute to regional customers. Project Nosh article here.

Hops & Grain 7th Anniversary! Hops & Grain will be celebrating their 7th Anniversary at their facility, October 7th! Join for a specialty beer release and take home your very own limited edition pintglass. Tickets here

Farmhouse Delivery Offers School Fundraising Program How cool is this - Farmhouse Delivery will donate 5% of profits to a school of your choice. As the parent of a kid in the public school system - trust me, schools can use the extra cash. Click through to check out program details. Details here

Texas Local Food Events

Farm and Food Leadership Conference Monday, October 15 - 16 McKinney Performing Arts Center 111 North Tennessee Street McKinney, TX 75069  AFI will be presenting on financial literacy, access to capital, and providing personalized business fundraising and business consulting on site at this conference. Keep up with where AFI will be speaking at our website . This unique conference focuses on the policies and regulations affecting our farms and our food as well as the latest developments in sustainable agriculture. Whether you are a farmer, consumer, chef, local foods business owner, or nonprofit advocate, you will find useful information and tools to help support the growth of the local and sustainable food movement. Register here

Heritage Grains + Sourdough Breads Workshop Saturday, Oct. 6th Barton Springs Mill, 252 Frog Pong Lane Dripping Springs, TX This intensive hands-on sourdough bread workshop will be led by Sandeep Gyawali of  Miche Bread  and is intended for beginner to intermediate home bakers. Each participant will make 2 very different types of bread from start to finish. First, you will choose from a selection of a half dozen organic heritage grain flours to make a custom multigrain sourdough boule. You'll get to know each grain's unique flavor thanks to a tasting of single varietal breads baked by Sandeep for the class. We will be using flours made from einkorn, Egyptian Blue Tinge emmer, Marquis wheat, Rouge de Bordeaux wheat, Sungold spelt and Wren's Abruzzi rye. Tickets and info here

Caring for the Soil: Intro to Soil Science and Fertility Management Monday, Oct 8, 1:00PM - 4:00PM Farmshare Austin 3608 River Road Cedar Creek, TX 78612 What exactly is soil? How does it supply nutrients to plants, and support life? How can we as farmers best care for the soil? This class will explore the incredible ecosystem that is soil. You will learn how to evaluate soil texture and what that can tell you and techniques for nurturing the soil biome and building fertility. Tickets and info here

Austin Fermentation Festival 2018 Sunday, October 21 11:00AM - 4:00PM Austin Central Library 710 W Cesar Chavez st. Austin, TX 78701 The Austin Fermentation Festival is a free educational event that celebrates all things fermented in Central Texas. Proceeds from this event will benefit the  Texas Farmers’ Market Farmer Emergency Fund , which offers financial assistance to TFM farmers and ranchers in times of environmental, personal or other crisis. - 13 workshops focused on fermented foods and beverages - Fermented foods and products market - Dishes from local chefs and vendors that feature fermented ingredients - Wine, beer, cider & other tasty fermented drinks - Live music - Silent Auction featuring prizes from amazing local businesses - Culture Swap Free registration here

Central Texas Young Farmer Coalition - 3rd Wednesday Happy Hour Wednesday, October 17th Black Star Coop 7020 Easy Wind Drive Austin, TX Farmers, advocates, and farm enthusiasts are welcome to join an evening of drinks and networking with new and beginning farmers. Free and no registration required. Details here

Johnson's Backyard Garden - Open House Saturday, Oct. 27th, 4:30PM - Dark 4008 River Rd Cedar Creek, TX 78612 Our Annual Fall Open House is Saturday, October 27th and we hope you'll join us! This event celebrates our fall harvest and the change in seasons on our 200 acre organic vegetable farm - located just along the Colorado River about 25 minutes from downtown Austin. We'll be relishing in the autumnal weather and giving tours of the farm from 4:30-dark. Bring your family, maybe a picnic, and join us! JBG staff will be on site giving farm tours, plus there will be ample tractors and a gigantic sand-pile for the young (or young at heart). Our friends at Tiny Tails to You will be on site with some critters, and we'll have some spooky art projects, too. Want to get a little excercise? Forego the tractor-tour, and peruse our fields with a self-guided walking tour instead.  Register here

More @ Texas Local Food Events Calendar Be sure to check out AFI's Texas Local Food Events Calendar with a comprehensive list of all the local food happenings in Central Texas and beyond. There are about 1 billion other events to check out!  Created in partnership with Texas Center for Local Food . Check out the Calendar here

What We're Reading @ AFI

The E Myth - Why Most Small Businesses Fail and What to Do About It One of us in the office is reading a classic in the small business world - The E Myth. Great, quick read about why most businesses fail and how business owners can work on their business, rather than in it. Book here

US Dairy Industry and Trade Well, seems that the US Dairy industry is still unhealthy, despite efforts to remedy their plight through international trade deals. Read more at New Food Economy. Here it is

Here's a map that points directly to structural inequality "Detailed New National Maps Show How Neighborhoods Shape Children for Life" NYTimes interactive map and article is fascinating, "The research has shown that where children live matters deeply in whether they prosper as adults." Including this map because access to good, clean, fair foods is, in many instances, tied to economic prosperity. Of the many issues at play here, food access is one of them. Check it out for yourself

Unconscious Bias: How I learned I was part of the problem & what I did about it Great first person account from an RSF Social Finance Director on unconscious bias in finance. Check it out for yourself

Please Join Us...

Join the AFI Investor Network No Minimums, You Decide Which Deals to Do

Are you an accredited investor looking to transition a portion of your portfolio into socially responsible "impact" businesses? Wouldn't it be great to invest in a local food company, to meet the founders, tour the facilities, maybe even help with business mentoring or your specific expertise? If so, please consider the  AFI Investor Network .

Thanks Again... ... for all you do to support business with purpose, local food, and impact investing! All the best, Curt, Eric, Jarred, & Evan Austin Foodshed Investors

‌ ‌

DISCLAIMER: Local Impact Investors LLC, dba Austin Foodshed Investors, is not a venture fund, investment bank, broker dealer, investment clearing-house, investment club, or investment advisor, but rather a forum in which investors and companies may be educated on aspects of investment and business, as well as introduced to each other for possible investment. We are not registered with the Securities Exchange Commission, any self-regulatory organization or any state securities commission. We do not recommend or make any representation or warranty regarding any particular company or financial product for investment. All investments in entrepreneurial companies involve a high degree of risk, investors must be able to bear the risk of complete financial loss. All AFI Investors, at the time of transaction close, must be Accredited Investors within the meaning of SEC Rule 17 CFR §501(a).  Securities transactions requiring intermediaries are offered by under Rule 506(c) of the JOBS Act of 2012, per 17 CFR §230.506(c). Users of this website, as well as companies applying for potential fundraising assistance, consent to agree to our  Terms of Use  and  Privacy Policy .