Double Brook Farm, created in 2004, is located in Hopewell, NJ. The farm was started primarily to raise meat animals, but has since become a full-fledged meat and vegetable operation supporting both a retail store and a restaurant.
Currently, we own or rent several large parcels around the township and plan to farm over 800 of those acres. If you take a walk through the preserved D&R Greenway property at St. Michael’s Preserve, you might be passing by a flock of Katahdins.
We utilize Hopewell’s abundant land parcels designated for farm use or farmland preservation as part of our plan to feed locals and visitors with reasonably-priced, nutritious food. Imagine bread made from Hopewell flour housing your Hopewell-produced smoked ham!
Brick Farm Market
Our products can be bought at our retail store, Brick Farm Market, located at 65 East Broad Street in Hopewell, New Jersey.
Like a dish you had at Brick Farm Tavern? Come to the market and we can help you re-create it at home using the very same ingredients that our Executive Chef Greg Vassos used at the restaurant.
Brick Farm Tavern
For fine dining, make sure to pay a visit to Brick Farm Tavern, our very own farm-to-table restaurant housed in a renovated 1812 brick farmhouse.
We feature seasonal products from the farm and artisanal creations in every area including breads, pastries, dairy products and charcuterie. Located at 130 Hopewell Rocky Hill Road in Hopewell.
About The Founders
We originally started Double Brook Farm in 2004 to raise beef, chicken and sheep for our own consumption. In a way, we also started the farm to get ourselves and our kids – connecting with the land.
As we began building our barns and house and telling people about our vision for the farm, more and more friends and acquaintances became interested in purchasing the meat and eggs we would be producing. So we decided to scale up a bit.
At every turn – through conversations with friends, stories in the media on conventional food and people’s desire to know where their food comes from – the demand for local, all-natural, pasture-raised products has defined the direction of our farm.
Our research of local farming revealed a trend. Local farmers all seemed to share the same problem; marketing and distribution. The more time they spent on the marketing and distribution, the more the quality of their product suffered. Less focus resulted in poor sales.
Around this time, we also started talking to chefs, restaurants and retailers. They had the opposite problem; they could not get quality and consistency. It was becoming clear if the farm was to be
more than a hobby, we needed a different model.
If the mission is to get the best tasting local food to the community at prices that make sense, we had to look at ways to cut out middlemen while still fulfilling our goal of humane animal treatment.
To this end, our goal is to create a completely vertical model; farm, slaughter capabilities, retail market, and restaurant with nearly everything to be produced from that single farm.
Products would include a variety of meats cut by a proper butcher, charcuterie items, cheeses, a bakery and fresh seasonal produce, among other farm offerings. What does not get sold in the market or the restaurant will return to the farm as feed or fertilizer.
The ultimate goal is a farm that uses energy from the sun or the earth, has zero outside inputs, no external animal feed, no external fertilizers and a very limited carbon footprint.
Currently, we are raising sheep, pigs, turkeys and chickens for both meat and eggs. Our cattle is raised by George Lake of Thistle Creek Farms in Tyrone, PA. Lake has been raising grass-fed beef for over 20 years and we are proud that he is raising ours.
While it may seem like a lot to pull off, we hope that by taking a responsible, thoughtful approach to local farming and food production, we will actually be simplifying how good food gets to our table and yours.
– Robin and Jon McConaughy