Exploring Life & Business with Daniel Allen of Allenbrooke Farms

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Allen

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I opened Allenbrooke Farms in 2011 after taking over the family land in 2010. I was working along side farming full time and I knew I couldn’t sustain that schedule. I needed to focus all of my energy into farming for the land to become a profitable business versus a piece of land that required resources to maintain. I’d heard of the CSA (community supported agriculture) model and spent a year educating myself & preparing to sell shares of the farm to the local area. The first season opened in 2012 with 50 CSA members. It was one of the hardest years of farming to date. By 2016, I had worked up to 400 members and the same year started building the wedding venue which opened in 2017. By year 2018, I was growing hemp under contract and by 2021 opened a Farm-Store on site which allowed me to retire CSA memberships. Those same CSA customers can shop inside the Farmstore three days a week where they can purchase “Farm Fresh Boxes” which do not require a commitment or sign-up.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Farming is never a smooth road. Every year brings it’s own difficulties because farming is hard. Some of the struggles along the way have been drought or too much rain, can’t have too little but can’t have too much, the heat, working along side mother nature is always unpredictable. Long hours, most do not understand a farmers schedule. It’s hard even for family to understand sometimes. Equipment upkeep, the list is long. Running a farm requires a lot of overhead.

As you know, we’re big fans of Allenbrooke Farms. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are organic farmers who use regenerative growing practices, we do not spray our crops with any agri-chemicals,
we specialize in growing produce, strawberries, flowers, honey, herbs and hemp.
We are known for our farming practices and for hosting TN barn weddings here on the farm in our modern barn venue.
A wedding day is one of the happiest days in a persons life so what’s not to love about, LOVE?

What sets us apart from others is that we are third generation farmers who are locals to the Nashville area. I am most proud of the legacy I am creating for my family.

I’d like your readers to know that it’s important to know who your farmer is. That with choosing Allenbrooke Farms they can trust they are eating clean. healthy food. That when they support the local food supply they are supporting food equity, security and sovereignty. For without farmers there will be no food and no future. We want to educate Nashville on regenerative farming vs corporate farming and how regenerative farmers are helping to restore soil health and solve carbon. Soil health is directly connected to our overall health as human beings and it’s our responsibility to care for nature because we ourselves are apart of nature.

We also offer “Glamping” here on the farm and have two glamping tent rentals, found at allenbrookefarms.com
We have our own hemp consumable brand, Sinsemilias, which offers “Seed to Sale” products to consumers, also found on our website. All items meet the federal definition of legal hemp. Our on-site farm-store is open Wed & Fri 10-5 & Sat 10-2. All interested wedding parties can view our barn rental via allenbrookefarms.com or the farms socials @allenbrookefarms

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Being on the farm at my Grandparents, Brown & Violet Allen

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allenbrookefarms.com
• Instagram: @allenbrookefarms
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllenbrookeFarms/