Michigan farm's alternative crop makes popular value-added product
Growing up, Claire Smith wanted to get as far away as possible from the seventh-generation family farm where she and her six siblings were raised near Addison, Michigan. “Now, I'm definitely the one most involved with the farm among the seven of us kids,” she says.
The family’s 2,300-acre farm, Tenera Grains, began growing teff and other small grains and seeds in 2015 to diversify a rotation that had primarily been made up of corn and soybeans for several generations prior. A family friend of the Smith’s who worked in agriculture in Africa first suggested teff as an alternative crop, and actually brought over 30 pounds of seed in a suitcase for them to try planting (yes, it was legal)!
An ancient grain native to Ethiopia, teff is the world’s tiniest grain, and is from the grass family, like wheat and other small grains. It grows two and a half to three feet high and is prone to collapse, also called lodging, from the weight of mature seed heads—which can make harvesting it challenging. Those who’ve been readers of The Crumb for a while may recall our member profile of Black Oaks Center in Pembroke, IL who is also growing teff.
After verifying that teff production was possible in their soil and climate, Claire began seeking markets. An early plan was to mill the teff into flour to sell to area Ethiopian restaurants for injera (that naturally-leavened staple flatbread of Ethiopian cuisine). They even listed the teff flour for sale on Amazon, but the demand wasn’t there so Claire took to the kitchen and began workshopping what she could make with teff in hopes of marketing it as a value-added finished product. After much trial and error, she founded her granola company, Teffola, in 2017.
From her first customers—family and friends—she graduated to farmers’ markets, then to local grocery stores, and now has her sights on Whole Foods. She puts about 3,000 miles a month on her Ford Transit Connect delivery van named Argo (Latin for journey), making deliveries and connecting with potential clients and advocates. Besides pounding the physical pavement, building market demand also means a lot of storytelling about what teff is, why it’s a good crop for farm diversity, and why consumers should add it to their grocery carts in the form of granola. Claire has been working steadfastly to grow this business for the past four years, with the hope of building enough of a market that she can source from an increasing number of area farms in the future.
AGC has plugged me into a group of people who are incredibly passionate about local grains. I've talked with a lot of farmers and producers who are facing the same struggles we are and have great advice and suggestions.
- Claire Smith, Teffola Founder/Owner
Nutritionally, teff is high in fiber and protein and does not contain gluten; it has the highest levels of calcium and iron of any grain crop. Teffola combines teff with other grains and nutrient dense ingredients like oats, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and walnuts to complement its naturally nutty flavor. Claire uses at least one ingredient from her family’s farm per product, and includes the processing date prominently on every package to emphasize its freshness.
Teffola’s mission is to be bold in flavor and brave in character, echoing the decision her family's farm made to try a completely new crop (both for them and for the region). The farm's most recent courageous venture over the past year has been building a gluten-free cleaning and processing facility that will soon allow them to scale up their production while helping other area farmers prepare to sell niche grains like teff.
Since joining AGC in winter 2020, Claire has jumped right into the network, contributing her voice and perspective to elevate our community and projects. One particularly exciting effort is a survey she co-created with Samuel Taylor from Long Table Pancakes that will soon be used to gauge consumer knowledge, needs, and demand for different types of grain and the reasons people may seek them out. Keep your eyes out for the opportunity to offer your feedback in the coming months. Claire and Samuel were both just accepted to AGC member Family Farmed's new cohort of their Good Food Accelerator program, Accelerate for Growth (A4G), so we expect further collaborations between Claire and Samuel may be in store.
“AGC has plugged me into a group of people who are incredibly passionate about local grains,” she says. “I've talked with a lot of farmers and producers who are facing the same struggles we are and have great advice and suggestions. Sometimes farming and running a food business is a lonely life! AGC helps alleviate that feeling.”
Have you tried Teffola? Claire is so committed to introducing you to this granola that her website features an offer for a free sample for simply signing up for the Teffola newsletter. Find that, and her social channels, at the links below.