Sarah — Founder, Paonia Food Movement

I grew up in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, surrounded by the mountains and landscapes of the Western Slope. I later studied Environmental Studies and Geography in Boulder and spent five years working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I worked repairing and building air sampling equipment which was installed onto small planes to collect air samples used to monitor the carbon cycle and greenhouse gases.

The work mattered, but after years in a basement lab, I began to feel disconnected from the solutions I cared about most. I wanted to know how to grow food, build a home, and contribute more directly to my community.

So I quit.

For the next four years I traveled the West working on farms through WWOOF, living out of my Prius and learning how to grow food, build earthen structures, and live simply. I worked on farms and retreat centers across Colorado, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and New Mexico, searching for a place that felt like home.

That place turned out to be Paonia.

Paonia captured my heart with its incredible organic farms, orchards, and strong agricultural community. In 2019 I bought a small off-grid shed on a hillside overlooking the valley and began slowly transforming it into my home.

The idea for the Paonia Food Movement came during a drive to visit a many I was dating in Crested Butte. He loved local food as much as I do, so I came stocked with a cooler full of food from local farms. During my years working on farms, I saw how demanding agriculture is—growing food is already a full-time job, yet farmers are also expected to handle marketing, sales, and distribution.

I realized I could help.

I started with what I had, I converted outbuilding into a walk-in cooler and used my old ’98 Tacoma with a homemade topper.

Today, the Paonia Food Movement connects members in the Roaring Fork Valley with the farmers, ranchers, bakers, and makers of Paonia, bringing incredible local food directly to the community each week.

I believe our food system is ready to evolve. By strengthening local relationships between farmers and the people who eat their food, we’re building a more resilient and nourishing future together.