The Farmer’s Cow Calfé Expansion Sets Sights On Next Stages Of Development

For Immediate Release – Norwich, CT – August 23, 2024

In a continued pursuit to save Connecticut’s farming community, FC Development Corp. has taken another critical step by expanding The Farmer’s Cow Calfé into Berlin, CT — a recent story by Connecticut-based The Hartford Courant, the State’s oldest and most prestigious newspaper, covers the recent launch of the newest location and discusses the expansion plans for the fast-casual dining experience that brings farm-fresh quality to a whole new level. This unique concept is a product of our ongoing strategic partnership with The Farmer’s Cow Cooperative, designed to introduce locally sourced, quality products to a broader audience in an effort to support the farmers. Our goal is to open 10 locations by 2026, providing a new revenue stream for our farmers while offering a dining experience that prioritizes quality and sustainability.

In the article, titled New CT restaurant aims to bring fresh-off-the-farm to new level. It’s farmer approved, Pamela McLoughlin wrote, “A group of Connecticut farmers have branched into a restaurant business where the eggs and milk don’t get any fresher. The new fast/casual Connecticut cafe, The Farmer’s Cow Calfe (yes, that’s their clever twist on cafe) is a unique model that represents a partnership between a group of Connecticut farmers and a development company expressly formed to bring farm and artisan products into the eatery arena.”

McLoughlin added, “The goal is to open 10 “calfés” by the end of 2026,” said Steve Lane, a top official in FC Development Co. “This for the farmers is another revenue stream,” continued Lane, chief development officer of FC Development. “They (farmers) face a lot of challenges.”

Additional excerpts from the article are featured below:

“They’re going for high quality all around and more farm-to-table, with the focus to be as locally sourced as possible,” Lane said. “Our goal since we started this process is to successfully develop the menu more.”  The menu is a work in progress, but they’re already open for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Mansfield and recently, in Berlin at 1241 Farmington Ave.  The milk and eggs are already right off of their member farms, and the goal is for produce and other products like meat to follow.  So far, the breads, jellies and jams are artisan made.  They carry Craftsman Cliff Roasters coffee out of Norwich.  And in addition, Lane added, “Ice cream is a hot seller – including sundaes, milkshakes and floats, the latter made with locally-sourced Foxon Park soda.”

“The new Berlin eatery of about 3,000 square feet has an open area, a drive through and a modern ‘farmhouse’ feel,” Lane added. “It has seating. The walls in Berlin are decorated with historical photos of Berlin’s agricultural scene.”

Lane further explained how creating the restaurants is about the impact for farmers and the passion of the development company’s founder, Steven Ayer, who has a love for feeding people and those in need.  Ayer, who is also immersed in another intense career industry, has a special place in his heart for farms and farmers, so he wanted to help them by developing the ‘calfes.’  Ayer said his family owns a farm dating back to 1665, Ayer Farm in Franklin, and his grandfather was forced to sell the dairy herd in 1979 because they couldn’t make ends meet. “Dairy farming is really hard work,” he said. “You’re at the mercy of so many things including big business, the weather, and wild fluctuations in the price of milk.” Ayer continued, “The farmers involved in the Farmer’s Cow are just good, hard-working people and I wanted to help them, knowing the challenges that they face on a daily basis.”

Several years ago, before he partnered with The Farmer’s Cow, Ayer began giving vegetables away from what his family and he had grown on the farm, and it became a ‘real passion.’ “I love every part of farming,” he said.

To read the full article click here

For more information about the Farmer’s Cow Brand of Companies, including FC Development Corp., please contact: Steven Lane, Chief Development Officer at lane.s@fcdevcorp.com