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| . Madisons at Findlay Market | |
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Store
Front
Madison's Ridgeview Farm is one hundred acres in Adams County. Bryan and Carolyn Madison bought the land twenty years ago. They wanted to build something significant as a family with their sons, Matt, Malory, and Mike. Everyone had regular jobs in addition to the farming until 1996, when Bryan retired from Procter and Gamble. That same year Matt left his catering job to live on the farm and devote his life to building it into a true family business. The Madisons added greenhouses, a maple sugar shack, a barn, and a processing kitchen to their land. They started cultivating shitake and oyster mushrooms to sell to local restaurants, and eventually had fifty accounts. Next, Matt looked for an opportunity to be a farmer directly connected to the people who ate his food. That was also in 1996, when the Madisons brought their business to Findlay Market. They started by setting up some folding tables and selling a few fruits and vegetables. Today, Madison's at Findlay Market is an entire store, managed by Matt. Carolyn also works there. Brothers Malory and Mike are both on the farm's board of directors. Bryan manages the Madisons' stand at Ridge Market in Pleasant Ridge. Besides growing and selling their own seasonal produce, they also bring to Findlay Market goods from neighboring Amish and Mennonite farms. Their selection of certified organic produce is one of the largest in Cincinnati. Besides their own mushrooms, they offer morels and chanterelles from the Pacific northwest. Everything they do today on the farm is a direct result of customer interaction at Findlay Market. Their strawberry crop, for example, is much larger than it used to be. A few years ago, when it was smaller, they'd sell out fairly early in the day. Afternoon customers were regularly disappointed during strawberry season, so they planted more. It's true entrepreneurship, and Matt believes Findlay Market is the only location in the greater Cincinnati area where it can happen for a farmer. Madison's Ridgeview Farm has always been about connection. It started as a way for two parents to continue to have something meaningful with their sons as they got older. It became a way of life for Matt, who extended that desire for meaningful connection beyond his family and his land. The Madisons now have that connection with hundreds of people, thanks to Findlay Market. Madison's at Findlay Market is open Thursday and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 430 p.m. and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone: 513-723-0590. |
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