Building the Foundation of Success: 2023 Accomplishments Provide a Runway for Growth in 2024
The foundation for the expansive Silk Grass Farms project was nearly completed in 2023.
Touring the lush coconut tree groves and vibrant crops at Silk Grass Farms, it’s hard to believe that a few short years ago the site was mostly abandoned, degraded farmland. We are both proud and humbled as we reflect on the groundwork laid for a thriving agribusiness equipped to produce world-class products and act as an engine for human and natural abundance.
As 2023 comes to a close, Silk Grass Farms comprises 9,000 acres of superb farmland being cultivated by expert agronomists. It is also the site of a high-performing, state-of-the-art 130,000 square-foot food processing facility commissioned in 2023. This year we also advanced the activities of Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve (SGWP), which supports the biodiverse surroundings where our agribusiness thrives, increasing productivity, nutrient value, flavor, and resiliency of our food crops. Likewise, profitable farm and factory operations provide the financial resources necessary for long-term stewardship and protection of SGWP — creating a circular loop of support and interdependence.
Launching an ambitious and complex enterprise such as Silk Grass Farms requires the performance of tens of thousands of intricate tasks for the first time. This year the team navigated an enormous learning experience and has come out stronger, more aligned, and ready to take on the opportunities and challenges ahead.
We invite you to read our year in review below, and join us in acknowledging and celebrating all that our team accomplished in 2023. You can also watch a recap of the highlights here!
Additional accomplishments in 2023:
Completed the installation of a 2-megawatt solar system to power the factory
Established dozens of relationships with new partners and suppliers throughout the region
Engaged Changing Tastes, a widely recognized food-product development firm, to help us create premium products and ingredients for the North American and European markets
Increased overall sales by 50%
Shipped new Silk Grass Farms’ exports overseas to the United States and Jamaica
Increased production of cold-pressed coconut oil — one of our core products — by 70%
Released new juice products — including orange (½ gallon), watermelon (355ml and ½ gallon), grapefruit, lime, pineapple — and coconut water (½ gallon)
Our 2-megawatt solar system will power the factory.
Fostered healthy, intact ecosystems
“Healthy, intact ecosystems are essential for all human endeavors, most especially the growing of food. These ecosystems exist on both a macro level (rainforests, wetlands, grasslands) and a micro level (including the fungi, bacteria, and insects that support them). These systems create a living flow of services — clean air and water, healthy soil, habitat for pollinators — that make life on Earth possible.”
— Mandy Cabot, Silk Grass Farms Co-founder
In 2023, we continued to demonstrate the circularity between healthy economic and natural systems through the symbiotic relationship between Silk Grass Farms and Silk Grass Wildlife Preserve. We drafted a conservation easement, carving out an 8.4-acre parcel of land contiguous with both entities to serve as SGWP’s headquarters. There, we renovated and repurposed the original property owner’s residence into a modern “field station,” including a 1,650-square-foot workshop/classroom, a 250-square-foot laboratory, a large central kitchen/living/dining area, a library/study, and 6 bedrooms with baths, designed to comfortably accommodate up to 16 people.
Additional accomplishments in 2023:
Identified key partners — including the Stroud Water Research Center™, Wild Earth Allies®, and ClimeCo™ — to assess the health, biodiversity, and carbon-offset potential of SGWP, beginning with its watersheds and forests
Hosted staff and research scientists from Stroud Water Research Center at Silk Grass Farms to conduct a water resources assessment
Identified sampling locations within the five watersheds occupied by the farm, and conducted initial water quality testing at each site
The Silk Grass Farms management team.
Sandy Creek Academy doubled enrollment from 6 to 13 students in 2023.
Invested in training and developing our team
“Providing high-quality jobs is a part of the impact that we want to make in Belize. We are focused on building our team and helping them adapt to the culture of Silk Grass Farms. Today, we employ a group of dedicated individuals who take pride in their work.”
— Tyeshia Casimiro, Silk Grass Farms Chief of Staff
In 2023, we worked to develop our team members through training, educational opportunities, and the deepening of our culture. It is the goal of Silk Grass Farms that each team member feels a sense of pride in and ownership of our shared work. The advancements in the factory have required patience, determination, and collaboration — especially when working with new equipment or processing a crop for the first time.
Additional accomplishments in 2023:
Trained factory employees on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Food Safety
Enrolled five employees in professional development courses
Supported two employees returning to school to earn bachelor’s degrees
Invested in education through our onsite school
“One of our core values is lifelong learning, so we prioritize providing a high-quality education to the children of our employees. We consider ourselves a family of people. What better way to live that value than to empower our employees’ children to become the next generation of leaders at Silk Grass Farms?”
— Tyeshia Casimiro, Silk Grass Farms Chief of Staff
In 2023, our onsite school, Sandy Creek Academy, received its official school license from the Ministry of Education — an important endorsement of the school’s program. We worked with our school consultant to design a competency-based learning system, which focuses on the individual educational and skill level of each child, a system designed to enhance each student’s individual development. The entire education system in Belize is currently working toward switching to a competency-based education system, so Sandy Creek Academy is ahead of the game!
Additional accomplishments at Sandy Creek Academy in 2023:
Continued competency-based learning and ventured into subject-specific teaching
Doubled enrollment from 6 to 13 students
Added on to our school agricultural area, housing two sheep, two rabbits, a tilapia fish pond, and chickens
Employed a music teacher and began twice-weekly music lessons
Our factory is equipped to process a wide variety of crops.
Supported the success of the Belizean economy
“Beyond the processing of the crops from our farms and other external suppliers to make high-quality products, Silk Grass Farms also boasts the fact that the factory was built for Belize. Belizean businesses will be able to utilize the modern food technologies to add value and guarantee food safety to their products. Excess crops — such as tomatoes and beans — can be processed into value-added products to be sold on the market to benefit the entire agricultural economy of our nation.”
— Dr. Henry Canton, Silk Grass Farms Co-founder and Executive Director
In 2023, we made progress bolstering the larger Belizean agricultural economy by ensuring our factory upholds the highest safety and quality standards possible, and is equipped to process a wide variety of crops and products. This year, the team experimented with a multitude of first-time crops and machinery, learning and taking note of ways to improve the system. 2023 represented an enormous learning opportunity for the entire team regarding the versatility of our production capabilities.
Silk Grass Farms — 2023 Accomplishments
Developed high-quality products for values-driven consumers
“Thanks to the development of our superb crop management practices and state-of-the-art factory, Silk Grass Farms now has the capacity to process crops from our farms and external suppliers to make high-quality products. To demonstrate the advantages of conscientious values in business, we need to develop premium products that attract customers who care about quality as well as social and environmental impacts. To engage with these values-driven customers, we intend to bring the highest possible quality to the marketplace.”
— Bryan Welch, Co-CEO, Silk Grass Holdings US
In 2023, Silk Grass Farms completed the commissioning and installation of factory equipment, preparing the facility for full production. Silk Grass Farms also received SQF certification — a global standard recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative, and an important international benchmark for meeting stringent requirements for food safety management systems.
Additional accomplishments in 2023:
Experimented with/established front-end supply chain management processes for a variety of crops
Managed supply-chain delays on packaging, parts, and other external items
Started negotiations with Biomedix to become a certified third-party lab to extend services to external clients on food safety
Began relationships with new suppliers throughout the region for packaging at a more competitive price
Paved the way for 2024 and beyond
Building on a foundation of success in 2023, we enter the New Year primed to continue expanding both our capacity and our impact. We are energized by the Silk Grass Farms community and thank you for being part of our journey. From all of us here, cheers to all of you — and to a flourishing 2024!
Silk Grass Farms comprises 9,000 acres of superb farmland being cultivated by expert agronomists.