May 1, 2017
Self-Serve Store Open 24/7
By John & Joan Maxwell
Cinnamon Ridge Farms
It was a dark and stormy night. Thunder rumbled. So did the man’s stomach. His headlights cut through the wet darkness of 275th Street. In the distance, a warm light beckoned. Hands gripping the wheel, the man’s mouth watered as the light drew closer and, finally, wheels turned into the gravel drive. The windows of the small building illuminated his dash through the rain, jacket held over his head. Stepping inside the dry, warm haven, the man shook off the rain drops and focused on his goal: farm-raised, juicy sirloin steak. It was midnight: where else could he buy meat like that on a late night like this? In the freezer, two packages just the right size. And, yes, a package of cheddar cheese curds for him, and a bar of fresh soap for the wife. Perfect. The rain still pounding on the roof, his pencil calculated the total, and he slipped payment into the slot. Five minutes from start to finish at the Cinnamon Ridge Self-Serve Farm Store on 275th Street, just outside of Donahue, and the man was back in his car driving toward home and his grill, creamy cheese curds staving off the hunger pangs.
“Where’s the beef?” I was asked this question for years by people interested in purchasing meat directly from our dairy farm where we milk 220 Jersey cows with 4 Lely robots and make cheese from their milk. Most of these people wanted to buy a few specific cuts of meat, not a whole or half beef, as is common when buying from the farmer. After seeing a self-serve, honor system flower stand in Chile, I thought I’d try to use that system to market farm-fresh products. While it started with frozen beef and pork, I’ve since added fresh eggs, our award-winning cheese, baked goods, milk soap and cutting boards. In addition to aged cheddar and Gouda, we also offer fresh cheese curds, original flavor and also seasonal varieties such as chipotle, ranch, or garlic and herb. Not only do people love the flavor of our award-winning beef, but they also appreciate that it’s raised on our farm without
additional growth hormones, and antibiotics are only used when necessary to treat a sick animal.
The honor system has worked very well for at our store. People come in, select their products, use the provided scratch paper and calculators to figure the price, and put the money in the slot. The store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s a real testament to the amazing community we live in. The honor system works because people in our region can be trusted.
Our products are also offered at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport, The Quad Cities Food Hub, Front Street Brewery in Davenport, The Depot restaurant in Donahue, Barley and Rye Bistro in Moline and several Quad-City Hy-Vee locations. If you’re interested in learning more about our farm, please visit our website www.tourmyfarm.com. We offer tours of our farm year round.
