About – wildvanillafarm.com

WELCOME

In 2020, after the last volcanic eruption in Puna, on the Big Island, we came across a very unique piece of land that was looking for its next owners/stewards. We read who they were looking for, and it felt incredibly aligned with our vision.

“Our farm is a beacon calling the next people who have the resources to adore and adorn her. She offers her full glory and desire to be stewarded by people who revere her. She yearns to blossom, share her generosity and abundance; to feel the weight of human footsteps, hear human laughter, music, appreciation, taste the nutrients blessing her, smell the ripeness, experience the flowing joy… She is hungry for her highest expression.”

Wild Vanilla Farm was born from passion and a deep listening to the land.

a wild adventure

At the time we had no idea what it all meant or how we were going to make it all happen but we trusted the YES, and moved forward from there.

We didn’t originally set out to become vanilla farmers, but from the first sighting of the beautiful orchid and its vine that grew wild through our jungle, it became clear that we had discovered a new passion, and the land responded by opening us up to a whole new adventure in our lives.

Our farm is so much more than vanilla. We are learning to live off grid in a food forest; harvesting rainwater and solar energy, opening space for the intentional planting of native species, remodeling existing cottages, workspaces and home spaces, creating living models for community stewardship and all the while, raising two amazing teenagers. Life continues to be quite the adventure for our family.

AN ABUNDANT SOURCE OF FOOD

We are constantly discovering the treasures and magnitude of the food forest we live in. Like the vanilla, food abundance is hidden in plain sight. Although the food was not obvious to us at first, when we began to look up into the big established trees, we saw massive jackfruits, ulus, mangos, avocados, citrus, durian and so many other foods just hanging out waiting to be enjoyed. When we cleared back the overgrown pathways and walked deeper into the jungle, we discovered new fruit trees almost every day for the first year.

We’ve recognized over time that this land wants to be an abundant source of food, and we are working to bring the food forest back to a more accessible, thriving state.

28 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP

As we learned how to grow the food, we realized the food was also growing us. Stewardship was happening not just on the land, but also in our inner lives. Land stewarding and self-stewarding now exist hand-in-hand, built on the solid but fluid foundation of 28 years of our partnership. Together, we continue to build a beautiful life, allowing each storm to invite us to root deeper and grow more expansively into this land and community that we love.

Todd’s long history of traditional farming includes five generations of dairy farming. From this background, he has gained the wisdom that tending to the land is more than a job or a lifestyle. It is a life that can connect to deep meaning. Naomi’s work in the healing arts spans almost 30 years. What began as massage therapy, yoga, coaching and women’s circles, now connects deeply to the land and has become the framework for the work that she is passionate about; connecting the body, the mind, the land and the spirit through the thriving, non-stop growth she experiences on the land.

We love that in living here and tending the food forest and vanilla, we deepen our connection with the ‘āina (the land), ourselves, and everyone who visits. This inspirational place is infused with awareness and gentleness, lightness, and joy. It’s a celebration of life.