Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Roussel.
Stacey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I studied Accounting in school and got my CPA. I worked as an auditor and book keeper and did not like sitting behind a desk. My heart was heavy and I knew something had to change; that year was 2000. I did soul searching and found that I had a love of gardening. I found myself working in lots of different community gardens around Houston. In 2005, Jay and I purchased four acres of land Fort Bend County, and I began growing vegetables.
From those four acres, I grew lots of food for Houston. I served many restaurants and had a community supported agriculture program that grew to 75 families. Our family added chickens to our farming practices and our flock grew to 200 birds. In 2009, we bought dairy goats and that is when everything changed.
I fell in love with the beauty, strength and character of these animals. Our small herd grew to 10 does in milk before I could turn around. I was farming four acres of vegetables, caring for a lot of chickens and milking those goats twice a day. I took an Holistic Management Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Series and the most important lessons I took from those classes were time management and focus. Our family decided in 2013 to focus entirely on our goats and to transition away from the other farming enterprises.
I took that year off to look at the Houston Market and to write a business plan. There were five farms in Houston making cheese with the same breed of goats I owned, and I did not want to step into that market and take away any of their business. I spent a lot of time researching the components of our milk and thinking about what would work best with our farm and for our family. I settled on confections.
2014 was a busy year, I built a dairy. 2015 we stepped into the market with a clean and delicious product. No stabilizers and no preservatives just real components in our pops ~ Goat Milk from our farm, Cane Sugar, real fruit, 100% Cacao, and Cajetan made by our friends at Blue Heron Farm. In 2017, my pops took second place in the American Dairy Goat Association’s National Product Competition for Confection, and I could not be more elated.
We have raised lots and lots of farm animals now, and I will confess that goats are really the most difficult. Working with them is also the most rewarding work I have ever done. Because of my experience, I have a huge appreciation and affection for the work of other farmers. I have a commitment to supporting other local growers, including their work in our pops and creating product with a truly unique Houston flare. I have a lot of ideas to work through this year, so there is a lot to look forward to in 2018 and beyond.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest challenge is getting the word out about our product. The work we do is really unique and goat milk gelato is really unique. Houston is also a HUGE city and telling folks about our pops and the farm is not so easy. How can I get the word out and still farm? This is my challenge.
All We Need Farm – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in a Farmstead Goat Milk Gelato Pop that is both unique and delicious. I believe I was the only dairy farmer in Texas in 2017 who is working on both sides of confection both milking goats and making gelato.
I have a commitment to other local farmers to use their work in our pops. What that means is my pops are truly unique to Houston containing milk from our farm less than 40 miles from downtown and flavor from this region. This is what makes us truly different.
I am also proud of the care I give to our animals, the people our small farm employs in this rural town and the support of our community. In 2017, I worked with the Breaking Bread Series, Richard and Carrie Knight. We held two farm dinners that raised funds for our Needville Volunteer Fire Department and also for the Houston Zoo’s Conservation Efforts. I am looking forward to more dinners in 2018, so stay tuned.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moments are empowering other young people to follow their hearts to a work that fulfills them. For example, watching a former employee grow in his career in agriculture, seeing my daughter excited to pursue a career in conservation, or watching a farm volunteer assist a mamma and pull a kid during kidding. That is really powerful.
I believe work is given to us. Every work has dignity because it is the key to understanding our own hearts and our place in this world. Watching other people to learn their gifts through work on our farm and setting them free in a work that makes them happy makes me the proudest.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allweneedfarms.com
- Phone: 713-305-2005
- Email: stacey_roussel@hotmail.com
- Instagram: allweneedfarm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allweneedpastures/
Image Credit:
John Dettling
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