The Heart of Our Origin Story

Dear friends,

As our company, Dr. Cowan's Garden, celebrates its sixth year with our annual anniversary sale, it's helpful for me to reflect on the original intention, goals, and dreams for our new venture.

My intention was simply to do something meaningful with my family. We have all experienced how difficult it is in our world to develop deep and enduring connections with those in our lives, including, at times, our own family members. One of the reasons might simply be that we don't have anything meaningful to do together; instead, we just visit. In former times, people's lives were dependent on their family bonds, their connections with neighbors, and the wider community. It was a matter of survival to have people around to help with the fields, raise the barn, care for the children, and raise the animals. Today, we outsource many of those needs to strangers or technology. 

I believed that starting and growing a business that reflected our values would help us forge and strengthen these bonds, born out of tasks that simply needed to be done. So far, that goal has born fruit as my two sons, Asher and Joe, have taken on the job of creating a vibrant and dynamic business.

Next, the work itself had to be meaningful, meaning, I wanted it to contribute to people's lives. For me, having spent my whole adult life in a kind of quest to bring to myself and others the best possible food, the choice of what type of business was obvious. Its mission was to provide the quality of food that can be found almost nowhere else. In the beginning, that meant growing and processing the vegetables ourselves. As time went on, it meant forming partnerships with small entrepreneurs who share this commitment to food quality.

This commitment has led to forming alliances with small biodynamic farmers who grow our vegetables, foragers who collect our sea vegetables, small farmers and businesspeople who raise the meat we sell and make our ghee, nut butters, grains and legumes. For me, my most gratifying endeavor is to create the conditions that support a young, enthusiastic farmer or food processor in making a living doing what they love. Sharing their food with our beloved customers, sharing their stories and building a new, quality-based economy is truly sacred work. This is what Dr. Cowan's Garden is about, bringing the sacredness, the quality back into our lives, our food and our work. You, our customers, are the engine of this transformation, and for this I am grateful every single day.

With love, 
Tom