Common Grain Alliance
Grain Chain Advocates & Connectors
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The Common Grain Alliance connects and supports farmers, millers, bakers, and makers to build a vibrant, integrated, equitable, and sustainable grain economy in the Mid-Atlantic region.
News & Media

Common Grain Alliance's Mid-Atlantic Grain Share

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted June 1, 2022 6:54 pm
The Common Grain Alliance (CGA) has partnered with FARMFRESH to create a weekly "grain share" subscription for consumers to receive a predetermined amount of various regional grains. This is an awesome idea, especially since the CGA's mission is to build a vibrant, integrated, equitable, and regenerative grain economy in the Mid-Atlantic:

An easy way to sample a variety of grains grown, milled, and transformed by artisans in our regional #grainshed is the Mid-Atlantic Grain Share, a Common Grain Alliance and @freshfarmdc project. Sign up for the summer session running from June through October at four D.C.-area farmers market locations.
Read at source →

Tom Giancola Helps Change Cottage Food Law in Maryland

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted May 23, 2022 12:34 am
As Ashley and I start to pivot to starting our own cottage food bakery, you are going to start seeing a bit of a shift in the news and stories we share here in our news feed. We'll still be working on contributing to the grain chain out here in Colorado, but we are going to be focusing more on the "bakery" component of the chain.

To that end, I am also going to be highlighting other businesses in the grain chain that we find inspiring. For our first highlight, we bring you Tom Giancola of Makeathe Bread out of Maryland. Tom's bakery is not the only thing that inspires us. He also recently helped move forward some changes to Maryland's Cottage Food laws. 

A couple months ago, I posted about a common sense reform that we were trying to advance that would help Cottage Food Businesses (like us) from all across Maryland grow their operation. .Yesterday, I'm thrilled to report that I had the privilege of watching @govlarryhogan sign HB178 into law...

Wander through Tom's Instagram feed and you'll see why we've posted about him. He's also helped me out when I had some questions about bakery equipment.

Tom's also recently joined the Board of Directors of the Common Grain Alliance, a Mid-Atlantic Grain Chain Connector.

I like this guy 😁
Read at source →

Common Grain Alliance starts Growing Grain Blog

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted January 6, 2022 6:33 pm
We are very excited to share one of our first new projects of 2022: the Growing Grain Blog with Heather Coiner of @littlehatcreek!

The Common Grain Alliance serves the Grain Chain in the Mid-Atlantic area and is very well established in their region. Excited to start seeing more thought leaders we can learn from coming onto the scene, although from what I've read, Heather has already been on the scene for a while 😄. 

One big factor for me with any sort of grass roots initiative is that it is people, not organizations, that bring about change. Organizations facilitate the changes that are driven and implemented by people. That is why I love to come across specific people in the Grain Chain, not just new organizations.
Read at source →

Common Grain Alliance Awarded USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant

via commongrainalliance.org Posted November 29, 2021 4:04 pm
Common Grain Alliance (CGA) has been awarded a USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant. CGA will leverage this multi-year, $749,217 grant to further its mission of building a robust, sustainable, and equitable grain economy in the Mid-Atlantic. CGA’s objectives for this grant include: Expanding consumer awareness of regional grains as part of the greater regional food system in the Mid-Atlantic

This is awesome news. The Common Grain Alliance is one of a handful of organizations across the country working to build out regional grain chains. The Common Grain Alliance serves the Mid-Atlantic region and already has a number of grain-advocacy projects underway, so this grant will surely let them expand and act upon even more of  their mission. 

Back in 2017, the Artisan Grain Collaborative has also received a USDA grant to build out their efforts as well any they have made a lot of progress over the years as well. This type of funding is essential, but I do always keep an eye on potentially self-sustaining business opportunities that spin off of these grant-funded organizations in the long run. 
Read at source →

Introducing Grapewood Farm

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted November 24, 2021 9:45 pm
Just decided on a new pattern as I come across new Grain Chain organizations: I'll be posting them to the news feed as I add them to the database. In this case, I came across Grapewood Farm in Montross, VA via the Common Grain Alliance's Instagram feed. Grapewood is a farm (as the name suggests 😁), a small grains grower and mill, all wrapped up into one. The Common Grain Alliance puts it pretty eloquently:

A robust and sustainable local grain economy is based on collaboration, and the connections @grapewoodfarm has forged to support their grain growing and milling business provides a great example of how that happens!
Read at source →
Connections
https://www.commongrainalliance.org
@commongrainalliance
UCjx7vmpbplB1gF_DZIPyFug
People
Heather Coiner, Founder
Locations
Mailing
2261 Thomas Jefferson Rd,
Forest, VA, 24551
United States
Directions
News & Media

Common Grain Alliance's Mid-Atlantic Grain Share

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted June 1, 2022 6:54 pm
The Common Grain Alliance (CGA) has partnered with FARMFRESH to create a weekly "grain share" subscription for consumers to receive a predetermined amount of various regional grains. This is an awesome idea, especially since the CGA's mission is to build a vibrant, integrated, equitable, and regenerative grain economy in the Mid-Atlantic:

An easy way to sample a variety of grains grown, milled, and transformed by artisans in our regional #grainshed is the Mid-Atlantic Grain Share, a Common Grain Alliance and @freshfarmdc project. Sign up for the summer session running from June through October at four D.C.-area farmers market locations.
Read at source →

Tom Giancola Helps Change Cottage Food Law in Maryland

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted May 23, 2022 12:34 am
As Ashley and I start to pivot to starting our own cottage food bakery, you are going to start seeing a bit of a shift in the news and stories we share here in our news feed. We'll still be working on contributing to the grain chain out here in Colorado, but we are going to be focusing more on the "bakery" component of the chain.

To that end, I am also going to be highlighting other businesses in the grain chain that we find inspiring. For our first highlight, we bring you Tom Giancola of Makeathe Bread out of Maryland. Tom's bakery is not the only thing that inspires us. He also recently helped move forward some changes to Maryland's Cottage Food laws. 

A couple months ago, I posted about a common sense reform that we were trying to advance that would help Cottage Food Businesses (like us) from all across Maryland grow their operation. .Yesterday, I'm thrilled to report that I had the privilege of watching @govlarryhogan sign HB178 into law...

Wander through Tom's Instagram feed and you'll see why we've posted about him. He's also helped me out when I had some questions about bakery equipment.

Tom's also recently joined the Board of Directors of the Common Grain Alliance, a Mid-Atlantic Grain Chain Connector.

I like this guy 😁
Read at source →

Common Grain Alliance starts Growing Grain Blog

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted January 6, 2022 6:33 pm
We are very excited to share one of our first new projects of 2022: the Growing Grain Blog with Heather Coiner of @littlehatcreek!

The Common Grain Alliance serves the Grain Chain in the Mid-Atlantic area and is very well established in their region. Excited to start seeing more thought leaders we can learn from coming onto the scene, although from what I've read, Heather has already been on the scene for a while 😄. 

One big factor for me with any sort of grass roots initiative is that it is people, not organizations, that bring about change. Organizations facilitate the changes that are driven and implemented by people. That is why I love to come across specific people in the Grain Chain, not just new organizations.
Read at source →

Common Grain Alliance Awarded USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant

via commongrainalliance.org Posted November 29, 2021 4:04 pm
Common Grain Alliance (CGA) has been awarded a USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant. CGA will leverage this multi-year, $749,217 grant to further its mission of building a robust, sustainable, and equitable grain economy in the Mid-Atlantic. CGA’s objectives for this grant include: Expanding consumer awareness of regional grains as part of the greater regional food system in the Mid-Atlantic

This is awesome news. The Common Grain Alliance is one of a handful of organizations across the country working to build out regional grain chains. The Common Grain Alliance serves the Mid-Atlantic region and already has a number of grain-advocacy projects underway, so this grant will surely let them expand and act upon even more of  their mission. 

Back in 2017, the Artisan Grain Collaborative has also received a USDA grant to build out their efforts as well any they have made a lot of progress over the years as well. This type of funding is essential, but I do always keep an eye on potentially self-sustaining business opportunities that spin off of these grant-funded organizations in the long run. 
Read at source →

Introducing Grapewood Farm

via instagram.com · By Paul Bonneville Posted November 24, 2021 9:45 pm
Just decided on a new pattern as I come across new Grain Chain organizations: I'll be posting them to the news feed as I add them to the database. In this case, I came across Grapewood Farm in Montross, VA via the Common Grain Alliance's Instagram feed. Grapewood is a farm (as the name suggests 😁), a small grains grower and mill, all wrapped up into one. The Common Grain Alliance puts it pretty eloquently:

A robust and sustainable local grain economy is based on collaboration, and the connections @grapewoodfarm has forged to support their grain growing and milling business provides a great example of how that happens!
Read at source →
Curator's Notes
Updated record and published to site.
General event, Posted by Paul Bonneville November 19, 2021
Vendor data managed on the Daily Grains Find Slow Food platform Daily Grains logo
Last updated December 28th, 2025
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