Our farmers
Radically Better Food
The people who grow and raise our ingredients are at the core of our business. Our farmers are as much a part of the Simple Food Group family as any employee, owner, or customer, and we are deeply committed to caring for them.
The call to radically better food has led us to build stronger relationships with every player in our food chain, starting with our farmers. We cook our food respectfully and thoughtfully because we know the stories of love, sweat, and tears that went into producing each fresh ingredient. To us, it’s more than finding ingredients to make our food; it’s also about supporting the businesses behind those ingredients.
Each of our farmers has a unique story to share. We are delighted to share a small part of those stories. Once you know where your food is coming from, we know you’ll taste the difference on your plate.
Our Local Partners
Alden Hills – Located in Walworth, Wisconsin, Alden Hills Organic Farms has one mission: to provide you and your family with the healthiest, highest-quality pastured meats that we can produce. Specializing in grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, eggs, garlic and popcorn and deliver weekly to various Chicago locations.
Colectivo Coffee – Started in an old Milwaukee warehouse in 1992, Colectivo has been hand-roasting every batch of coffee with intentionality and integrity for over 25 years. Now based in Chicago, IL, Colectivo still maintains their ethical business model today.
Hafs Apple Orchards – Located in Genoa City, Wisconsin, Hafs Apple Orchard planted their first trees in 1992. Today they grow 50 varieties of apples. In the fall, their Northern Spy apples feature in our delicious dutch apple pie, as well as scones and danishes.
Hemken Honey – A family owned Honey Producer in Big Bend, WI. They promote the art of beekeeping and benefits of using local honey through education of consumers, new beekeepers, school groups and community programs. In 1996 Andy Hemken started with 2 beehives, he currently admits to 400. After 30 years of safety and ergonomics consulting, he followed his passion and became a beekeeper. In the bakery, Hemken Honey is sold as a retail item and goes into our granola, sweet scones and honey wheat bread!
Hill Valley Dairy – Made up of two parts, the dairy is run by Frank and Colleen Henningfeld, who care for a herd of 65 milking cows, affectionately known as “the girls.” The other half is the creamery run by Ron Henningfeld. Creation of the cheese starts in the field, where the 65 milking cows and Romari Farms are given as much air and good food on the 240 acre farm can sustainably produce. Every Sunday, a milk truck from Clock Shadow Creamery picks up the milk from the dairy and delivers it to Clock Shadow Creamery in Milwaukee where Ron Henningfeld, cheesemaker, produces his small-batch cheeses. In the bakery, Ron’s cheddar cheese is featured often in our savory scones, and his gouda is used in the cafe on many dishes. We offer a selection of his delicious cheeses in our retail area.
Hometown Sausage Kitchen – Located in East Troy, WI, Hometown is owned and operated by John and Elena Hudoc and Thomas Cicero. All of their sausages are made with recipes made by the Austrian founder of the company, John Vogel. They produce handcrafted sausages and artisan smoked meats that are USDA inspected and specialize in small batch locally sourced meat processing. Their bacon is featured in our cafe, and their delicious ham is used in our French sandwiches. We have a selection of items in our retail bakery as well
River Valley Ranch – A local company that’s been in business for 40 years, River Valley Ranch provides button, oyster, portabella, cremini, and shiitake mushrooms to many restaurants in northern IL and southern WI. You will find their canned goods on our retail shelves, and their mushrooms in many dishes in the Cafe. We also use their mushrooms to make special mushroom baguettes that we wholesale back to RVR!
Sassy Cow Creamery – A 1700 acre farm out of Columbus, Wisconsin, the Baerwolf family cares for over 600 cows. Their milk, cream, and buttermilk go into a great number of our breads, pastries, and cakes.
Sweet Corn Lady –A cherished local staple, the Sweet Corn Lady is famous for her bright yellow sign. She provides sweet corn, peaches, plums, nectarines, tomatoes, and melons seasonally.
Yuppie Hill Farms – Owner Lynn Lein left her career in the healthcare industry and began farming chickens in 1999, starting with only 12 chickens. The whole project began as a labor of love after her children brought home baby chicks for a school project. Now her cage free barn is home to 2,500 chickens that are still enjoying their “yuppie” life.
Meadowlark Organics – Flour is the key ingredient in Artisan Baking. Meadowlark is a local organic farm in Ridgeway, WI that grows and mills their own grains. In 2018 they were awarded a Value Added Producer's Grant which led to the development of a brand independent of LSM. We use their specialty flours and wheat berries in our breads and cafe dishes. We also have flour and wheat berries for purchase in the Bakery & Market so you can create your own dishes.