Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alyssa Prouty. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

In 2023 we decided we wanted to make Raven Oaks Farm an organic and local one-stop-shop for the Washington Twp. community and beyond! Our goal was to create an environment where people could shop without the worry of hidden ingredients in their food, we seek to have a better alternative to everyone’s favorite grocery store items. At Raven Oaks Farm we are also intentional with the kinds of local vendors we work with! We try to get as many products local as possible! We work with local farms for beef, chicken, pork, milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, sourdough bread, coffee, tallow skincare, household cleaning products, beeswax candles, frozen prepared meals, juices, and so much more!

Everyone at Raven Oaks Farm related to wanting a place to shop that focused heavily on supporting other local businesses while also being able to trust the products you were purchasing!

Alyssa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In early 2017, Ryan Morici, drove by a vacant, neglected property with an old farmhouse and 1800s-era barn. Always interested in a project, Ryan decided to take a closer look. He thought he might renovate the house and resell it, but when he saw the inside of the barn, his plans quickly grew. Though it had fallen into disrepair, the beauty of the high, arched ceiling and heavy wooden beams were undeniable. Restoring the barn became Ryan’s passion project. In the 1960s, the barn had been converted to a stable, and it housed racehorses for 30 years. Ryan and his team removed the stalls that had been added and restored the barn’s original structure using period-correct, hand-hewn wood. When the barn renovation was complete, Ryan decided to turn the property into Washington Township’s first organic produce farm. Ryan is the owner of Heritage Oaks, a landscape design and construction company that has been serving the Macomb, Oakland and Wayne County areas for over 20 years. Starting an organic farm seemed like the perfect way to further enrich those communities, an opportunity to serve them in a brand new way.

In 2023, Ryan hired Alyssa Prouty onto the Raven Oaks Farm team to manage, oversee and plan all the ideas and vendors we now work with! Alyssa does all of the transplant scheduling, picking when to start produce and flowers by seed, taking care of them in their trays and then organizing a team to plant them in the field when ready. Alyssa also works with and talks to many other local businesses in the area to curate the perfect team of vendors to work alongside at our Market. Alyssa plans out our rotating food truck schedule, sunset markets, ordering and office work while having a constant watch over the growing plants, harvest and production with the farming aspect of Raven Oaks Farm. Then doors opened to the public and began offering a variety of organic, heirloom produce, and it has continued to do so ever since.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

With farming you have to constantly be able to pivot! Plants don’t always grow how you thought they would, some summers are very hot and dry, sometimes we get too much rain. Farming can be super unpredictable so we have to be able to constantly make adjustments or deal with losing crops!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Our customers make our jobs so much more rewarding! Everyone is always so nice and excited to be here. We have so many regular shoppers that support us every week and get excited whenever we have a new idea or product.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ravenoaksfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravenoaksfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ravenoaksfarmllc