CEI Stories

Serving & supporting small business owners just like you.

Back

February 10, 2014

Misty Brook Farm

Katia and Brendan Holmes and their two sons tend their organic Jersey cows.
Katia and Brendan Holmes and their two sons tend their organic Jersey cows.

It’s not the rumble of a diesel engine you’ll hear at Misty Brook Farm when it’s harvest-time, but rather, the soft thud-thud of hooves and the jangle of harnesses. True to its environmentally friendly mission, Misty Brook Farm uses draft horses rather than tractors for its field work.

Owners Brendan and Katia Holmes relocated Misty Brook, an organic, diversified family farm, from Massachusetts to the 412-acre Perkins Farm in Albion last year, drawn to Maine for its extraordinary farmland, quality of life, and the strength and support of the agriculture sector. CEI was instrumental in the successful relocation, stepping in to provide a bridge loan until Farm Services Agency (FSA) funds were replenished. CEI also holds half of the mortgage. The Maine Farmland Trust holds a farmland conservation easement on the property, making the effort a true collaboration.

“CEI made it possible for us to reach our goal of farm ownership. They were able to understand the complexity of our business and stuck with us through a complicated loan application process to closing.” KATIA HOLMES, Owner, Misty Brook Farm

Misty Brook Farm has an organic Jersey dairy herd, heritage pigs and chickens, and offers a ‘full diet’ farm share, a meat share and a vegetable share to customers from as far afield as Boston.

Cows at Misty Brook Farm, a full diet farm in Albion, ME
Connect
image of Matt Tarpey: Maine Electric Boat

Matt Tarpey: Maine Electric Boat

"In the rugged coastal waters of Maine, where working waterfronts have deep historical roots, Maine Electric Boat is charting a new course. As…"

image of Marsh River Cooperative

Marsh River Cooperative

"Marsh River Co-op is the happiest little store from the outside, bright and colorful, and stocked with so much of what we love:…"

image of Ali Jabbar: PWM Transportation

Ali Jabbar: PWM Transportation

"Ali Jabbar is no stranger to entrepreneurship. After successfully owning and selling a limousine business in Houston, he moved to Maine and launched…"