Botanical Bites & Provisions, LLC, Fredricksburg, VA
Project Snapshot:
Botanical Bites is installing two cooling systems to extend the shelf life of their perishable products including food and cut flowers. With the increased demand due to the pandemic, they are in need of more space to store food and flowers to sell to local restaurants, CSA customers, local grocery stores, and their on-site market.
Bio: Botanical Bites & Provisions, LLC began as a hobby that quickly transformed into a family agribusiness. Anita grew up admiring her grandparents, who operated their own farm in Spotsylvania County. After graduating from Virginia Union University with a degree in Biology, she spent over 8 years in the Army as a Medical Service Corps officer, specializing in personnel management and information technology. While on active duty she completed a master’s degree program in management from Troy University. She then worked in the Office of the Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management in a number of program areas including serving as the human resources officer, telecommunications manager, contracting officer, and policy writer/editor to finally retiring in 2015 to rekindle her passion for agriculture, alongside her family. Through the assistance of Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach Program, the family found their agricultural footing. The idyllic Virginia farm is dedicated to producing sustainable, profitable, and natural agricultural products and specializes in growing and harvesting a variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and creating natural cosmetics from honey, beeswax, and herbs. Their agricultural focus is on sharing the benefits sustainable farming without using pesticides, herbicides, or preservatives by mentoring Virginia farmers.