Agricultural law nonprofit accepted into Chipotle incubator program

ROCK HILL, S.C. - May 27, 2020 - PRLog -- The legal nonprofit Family Agriculture Resources Management Services, or F.A.R.M.S., announced today that they are one of eight ventures selected for inclusion in the second class of the Chipotle "Aluminaries" small business accelerator.

Through the Chipotle Aluminaries Project, fast casual restaurant brand Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. supports innovative U.S. ventures working to empower the next generation of American farmers. Inclusion in the program will provide F.A.R.M.S. and seven other ventures in the program's second cohort with seven months of customized support from industry-leading mentors, funders, and partners that will help them scale their solutions.

The Aluminaries 2.0 program is sponsored through a partnership with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Chipotle Cultivate Foundation and Uncharted, a social impact accelerator that backs entrepreneurs that build resilience and advance equity. "Farmer-focused" organizations were invited to submit proposals for consideration between late January and early March, with the awardees announced last week.

F.A.R.M.S. is a legal nonprofit organization that helps farmers and landowners retain land for future use of next generation farmers. Along with F.A.R.M.S., other ventures selected for inclusion in the 2020 cohort include Agrarian Trust, American Farmland Trust, Demeter Mobile, Farm Commons, Rogue Farm Corps, Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, and Viva Farms. The eight ventures will receive mentoring from Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman, former Whole Foods Market executive Ken Meyer, and Chipotle executives along with individualized investor introductions.

"We are so excited to be chosen to participate in this amazing program designed to break down barriers, preventing small farmers of color from succeeding," said Jillian Hishaw, Founding Director of F.A.R.M.S. "Representing the small farmers has been a pivotal part of our business operation. The Chipotle Aluminaries program will help us scale our model strategically to provide diverse services in the future."

Since its inception in 2013, F.A.R.M.S. has worked to sustain small, independent farms while preserving the shrinking acreage owned by small farmers. The multi-award-winning organization was also recently recognized with the Unsung Business Award from Shea Moisture and the Black Business Relief Award from WeBuyBlack and SheaMoisture. This year, F.A.R.M.S. has disbursed nearly $25,000 in emergency aid to small farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic while distributing nearly 300,000 pounds of food to hunger relief entities in the U.S.

View F.A.R.M.S.' new food bank video at https://youtu.be/vrWTz0d7fEA.



Learn more about F.A.R.M.S. at www.30000acres.org. Follow F.A.R.M.S. on Facebook (@30000acres).