Knowing who we are will allow you to understand why we care so much about what we do.
For us, this is about people, not products.
Meagan
Meagan works in the Medical field in direct patient care. It has been her lifelong professional passion to help people. Whether it’s recovering from injury, learning new techniques to cope with chronic issues, or looking for breakthroughs with cutting edge treatments, Meagan’s focus has always been on the patient. At Ozee Farms, Meagan is always the voice reminding us to keep our focus on the people and families we serve. When you meet her at an event or Farmer’s Market, her contagious smile will draw you in as she seeks to care for our community.
Chad
When it comes to a “Day Job” Chad is a bit unique. In addition to serving in the position that first brought him back to Kankakee County over a decade ago, he is also a multi sport NCAA sports official. In fact, it was the pressure of needing to stay in the best shape he could be in for that avocation that he began to question the things we eat and what is in them. As someone who knows what it is like to struggle with weight and health issues, he is constantly looking to support others who seek to make healthy food choices for themselves and their family.
The Kids
Caitlyn and Caleb were really the catalyst for all of this. Our two college age kids currently attend school out of state and our time together with them is very precious to us. When Chad was dealing with some of the health issues that led him down this road of sustainable, naturally produced food, the desire to be around for the kids and their future families was a huge encouragement for him to make those decisions. If you attend a summer market, there’s a chance you will catch one of the kids helping us out at the stand. They are amazing young adults and we couldn’t be any more proud of them.
Our Extended Families
Both Meagan and Chad have been blessed with multiple generations of family that have been a huge source of support and encouragement. You may see some of them helping out at a market, or you might try a product that was inspired by or directly taken from a family recipe that has been handed down. When we say that what we do is about people, that’s because that philosophy has been handed down to us through amazing parents and loved ones who have modeled that in every aspect of life.
Our Community
Well, that’s you! We fully believe that if our culture continues to depend on mass produced industrial food producers as our primary source of nutrition we will continue to see significant increases in illness, anxiety, and immune resistance. We aren’t looking to change the world with our little enterprise, but we are looking to make a difference right here in our little corner of it. Knowing that our food helps provide meals for local families gives us the greatest sense of satisfaction. We know that they will be eating healthier and we get to be a small part of that positive step in their lives.
Our Products
It’s simple, it starts with the soil. We raise Red Wiggler and European Nightcrawler worms so that they can produce Worm Castings which we use to create seed starting mixes, raised bed mixes, and soil amendments so that we can grow our market garden. We use the food in that market garden to feed ourselves, our livestock, and our community. We use our livestock to provide us with eggs so that we can cook and bake amazing recipes from our family that we can enjoy and share with others. We create Spice Blends, Rubs, Infused Salts, Extracts and many other things that allow us to impart awesome flavors to the foods we create. Everything we create is without artificial ingredients, all natural, and produced right in our suburban farmstead right here in Kankakee County, Illinois.