High Desert Foods seeks its second round of financing for further expansion of our operations

A message from Bill Manning, Managing Partner

In a recent interview on the radio show, “Beyond Organic,” venture capitalist Woody Tasch, CEO of Investor's Circle, talked about "pushing money down the food chain," which he sees as being patient and supporting small scale food companies working at the leading edge of green business. He describes it as "slow money," a philosophy aimed at influencing how we invest over the long term for community, sustainability and social responsibility.

I have a small 9,000 fruit tree and seasonal vegetable farm in Canyons of the Ancient National Monument in Southwest Colorado. It is off the grid and very isolated. Sometimes when I stand in the fields at the orchard with beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty all around me, it seems so far removed from anything of consequence. And yet while it may be the end of a very long thread, it does lead back to connection with others. Bringing healthy food in various forms, grown with as much integrity as possible, and sharing it with my nearby community and beyond does seem worth doing. 

On the farm we raise and sell a variety of crops, primarily fruit, for the fresh commodity market. In addition, a year and half ago, we purchased the old Mountain Sun Organic Juice company facilities in Dolores, Colorado and set up a small food processing company. The initial production (all organic products) included 17 flavors of fruit confitures and has grown in the last few months to include tomato sauces, smoke dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, nut snack mixes, and apple cider. Many more products are in the final phase of product development. With 20,000 SF of production facility, there is ample room to grow the business. Our products are beginning to appear in specialty food stores from New York to San Francisco and even in Japan. They will also be carried in the Williams-Sonoma spring 2006 catalog.

At the present time we have 12 initial investors who see the business potential for high quality, primarily organic, specialty foods in the market place. As we move through the early stages of our growth, a second round of funding is needed to move the company forward. We are seeking an additional $550,000 to grow High Desert Foods to the next level. We feel investing in High Desert Foods would not only be a great example of socially responsible investing, but also a sound business opportunity.

I would like to invite you to take a closer look at the investment opportunities that High Desert Foods represents. Take a look at our website www.highdesertfoods.com . I also have a short DVD that can easily give you a visual picture of both our farm and our production facilities. And of course we have a detailed business plan that outlines in more depth what our goals are for the second round of funding we are seeking. Please feel free to give me a call on my direct line, 970 882-5421 or email me at manning@simwell.com for more information.

Best Wishes,

Bill Manning, Managing Partner