After having worked in restaurants for years, Chelsea Madison and Nick Barr knew they wanted to start their own business. Inspired by the abundance of delicious ingredients coming out of the Asheville area, they vowed to represent their hometown by incorporating at least 60% local ingredients in their condiments.
On the Appalachian Trail, blue blazes lead to a water source. Jackson Anderson wanted his soda syrups to be the path you choose for refreshment, so he chose Blue Blaze Soda & Syrup Co as the name for his Asheville-based venture.
Hickory Nut Gap Farm is owned and operated by the children of James and Elspeth Clarke, whose forebears started a farmers' cooperative in Fairview, NC, in the 1920s. This revolutionary "Farmers' Federation" gave western NC farmers more control over the marketing of their products and kept more profits local. The family now keeps this community spirit alive as Hickory Nut Gap Farm experiences a renaissance.
Jessica DeMarco, founder of Copper Pot & Wooden Spoon, grew up surrounded by family food and farm tradition. She pursued a culinary career working in fast-paced restaurants, but was ultimately inspired to slow down as she experimented with traditional methods of preserving the bounty she found at western NC's farmers' markets.
