Launched in 2016, the Wardensville Garden Market + Bakery is a thriving farm and food-based social enterprise dedicated to expanding opportunities for local Appalachian youth. We address historically negative economic development in Appalachia, which often only created profits for outside companies, by operating like a business, harnessing the power of market demand to generate income, while also creating positive impact locally. In 2018, our budget grew to over $1M, and since we are a non-profit, 100% of that was reinvested back into the project and local community. Unlike a traditional business, we measure our success not by our profits, but instead by the local impact we have in three areas: 1) Social—creating educational and economic opportunities, 2) Environmental—protecting the natural environment, and 3) Financial Reinvestment—100% reinvested locally. This is what we call our “triple bottom line”. By creating rewarding local opportunities for youth within a successful, sustainable business and providing them with high-quality training and enrichment activities, we believe they will be better equipped to achieve their long-term goals, which positively impacts the community as a whole. Our unique location, mission and farm setting create endless opportunities for significant educational and environmental partnerships.
