Welcome to Valhalla Organics
Ruby Reid and Chris Day met while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. As we traversed over a thousand miles, we discovered our shared commitment to sustainable living and our passion for growing organic food. We created a mini-farm, and built an off-grid farm and apiary (honey bee hives).
In 2020, we lost our home and the mini-farm to wildfire, then in a cruel twist of fate, we lost our off-grid acre farm and apiary to a second wildfire in 2021.
Undaunted, we purchased a six-acre property in Southern Virginia and built our new farm from scratch. In the past three years, we have grown over four tons of produce, created a pollinator garden, and supported local wildlife.
Now we are facing a new challenge. Chris was diagnosed with squamous cell metastatic carcinoma, a kind of skin cancer that caused a tumor in his neck. He is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment and we are hopeful for the best possible outcome.
Despite all of the difficulties we have faced (and will face), we are committed to sharing our artisan, homegrown goodies with you.
About Our Farm
We practice regenerative farming, and we share our story to engage the broader community as a means to reinvent our food systems and revolutionize our world.
Our farm reflects sustainable values that are missing from the industrial food chain. Our methods for crop cultivation, production, sales, marketing, and ethical business practices provide a revolutionary model for small farms and food producers that facilitates both profitability and environmental conservation.
We share our homegrown goodies with our local community at farmer’s markets and shops and we serve the larger community through our website.
Meet The Farmers
Ruby Reid
Ruby graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and she holds a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of California – Berkeley.
She leverages her natural “people skills” with her professional background to understand our customers and serve your needs.
Ruby has been producing organic vegetables and pickled products since 2017, successfully providing quality farm-to-table commodities using sustainable practices.
Her business management practices learned from her years in non-profit leadership, social work, and community organizing have fueled her success.
She uses this expertise to connect with our customers who identify with the ideals of Valhalla Organics.
Chris Day
Chris earned Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management degrees from Johnson and Wales University and operates a food, beverage, and agricultural consulting firm, Biotronics Industries.
He brings decades of food service, food safety, hospitality, and management experience to his role at Valhalla Organics. He provides inspiration for new recipes, while ensuring food safety and food integrity.
Having grown up in rural Georgia on a sprawling acreage of pine trees managed by his family, and learning to drive a tractor and a bush hog before he was old enough to drive a car, Chris is well-equipped to manage the farm.
Chris is a certified sawyer, former contractor, and a veteran. He designs systems, builds necessary structures (such as greenhouses, fences), manages daily farm operations, and maintains the core infrastructure on the farm.
He fuses techniques passed down from his grandfather with innovative new technologies, creating sustainable methods that maximize yield.