Meet the Farmer
Farmer Mai
Mai Nguyen
Established In 2014
Location Sonoma, CA
Acreage 50
What they sell Grain & flour
When they began working with KTA 2021
Advising Focus Land access and stability; work/life balance; business planning
Support our ongoing advising work with Farmer Mai by giving to KTA.
Mai Nguyen started their Sonoma County grain growing business, Farmer Mai, in 2014 in the hopes of addressing both climate change and social inequity. With their family escaping from Vietnam, Mai has continued to be an outspoken advocate for first generation farmers of color in California, with many years of grassroots organizing and advocacy work under their belt. Mai hopes to not only farm in a way that enriches the soil, but also supports marginalized communities now and in the future. Over their nine years, Mai has sold their climate-adapted grains through farmers markets, wholesale vendors, and a CSA-style Flour Share.
One of the major challenges Mai has faced is the lack of infrastructure available to grain growers at their scale. Cleaning and milling equipment as well as adequate storage have shifted every year due to the infancy of the local grain movement and the lack of community infrastructure. Now, Mai is actively looking to purchase, with community support, a long-term forever home near Sebastopol upon which they can grow their grain, raise their family, and build the processing infrastructure so important to the business’ survival.
Where to Find
For information on Farmer Mai’s Flour Share and other retail and wholesale outlets for their products, visit their website.
Advising Snapshot: 2023
When Mai initially joined KTA as a client, they were focused on exploring revenue streams for the farm, specifically via the launch of a CSA-style Flour Share. The transition to adding a Flour Share was a major shift from wholesale accounts, and an area where Senior Farm Business Advisor Lily Schneider provided thoughtful input. Together, Lily and Mai mapped out different models, working backwards from various financial and land ownership goals to see how Flour Share pricing could contribute to a more profitable and sustainable bottom line. With the launch of the Flour Share in 2020 and 2021, Mai was able to provide their freshly milled flour directly to customers, resulting in their most profitable years in business yet.
In 2022, with their second child on the way, Mai decided to step back from farming to take parental leave, allowing them time and space to give birth to their daughter and recuperate with both of their children. The pause also offered Mai a space to reflect on their role in the agricultural system, their long-term business goals, and their future. For Mai, and for many farmers, the decision to step back was incredibly difficult — Mai was hesitant to pause their thriving Flour Share, fearing the loss of customers and the progress they had made with their business. However, they also knew that both their fields and themself needed time to rest and tend to the other fruitful parts of their life. Now, Mai is beginning the search for a forever home for their farm, hoping for a stable location to grow their grain, nurture their family, and establish key grain processing infrastructure and storage.
