Kakadoodle Farm is a women-owned pastured egg production farm that also runs an online, retail marketplace. The owners, MariKate and Marty Thomas, collectively have over eight years of farming experience with backgrounds in health care and software development. The online marketplace provides weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of their pastured eggs along with quality, locally sourced food from other local area producers.

Kakadoodle Farm needed more land to scale operations to meet existing demand and business growth goals. On behalf of the Farm, The Conservation Fund has purchased 74 acres of farmland, which also includes ten outbuildings and two single-family homes. Scaling to 74 acres allows Kakadoodle to support the scaling of 2 other Kakadoodle marketplace producers on site, and immediately expand their flock from 700 to 3,000 chickens. One of the barns will be converted to a retail facility and plans call for construction of multiple hoophouses to support rotation of chickens for grazing. Located in unincorporated South Cook County, this farm is strategically located close to existing direct to consumer customers, Chicago markets and wholesale buyers.

Kakadoodle gains immediate access to the farm under a flexible lease. They will meet key financial benchmarks and make infrastructure investments identified in their business plans — putting them in a position to purchase the farm from The Conservation Fund within three years after a farmland conservation easement is secured. Using a Buy-Support-Protect-Sell model, the Working Farms Fund is providing Kakadoodle Farm with immediate access to farmland, and a pathway to affordable farmland ownership.

Farmer Vision

An integrated pastured egg production farm with an all-natural online and retail marketplace aggregating other local, sustainable operations.

By the Numbers

• 1,000 subscribers by year 2
• 74 acres of permanently protected farmland
•  400% increased revenue projected in 2 years