Debra Shaw’s Farm Barn builds trust and community in addition to promoting Sonoma County products
By Jennifer Corriea & Photo Credit to Will Bucquoy
In today’s world where retail business owners suffer a collective shrinkage rate estimated roughly at $112 billion annually, one Petaluma entrepreneur chooses to place her trust in people doing the right thing and operate her enterprise on the honor system, where customers access her products without a cashier present.
For a decade now, Sonoma County Farm Bureau member Debra Shaw has run her Farm Barn on Pepper Road in such fashion, and while she admits having to install cameras to help control theft, overall, the venture has proven to be a successful one.
“Stealing goes in spurts and it upsets me when people feel entitled to just take things,” said Shaw. “But it averages out. Some customers give more, some give less, but most are impressed that it runs on the honor system. They love it and thank me for doing it.”
In setting up her business, Shaw is tapping into a rural tradition that began in close-knit communities where social pressure, shared values and mutual respect made honesty the policy.
A practice that stemmed from farmers’ need for efficiency, so rather than sitting idle at a stand all day or hiring someone to do it they could continue to tend fields, manage livestock and harvest crops. It is something Shaw can appreciate saying, “I started it on the honor system because I didn’t want to sit there. There are too many other things to do.”
There is plenty of research backing up her decision, with Forbes Magazine reporting that honor system businesses have a 90-94 percent success rate.
Additionally, there is more scientific support from a finding by economist and brain researcher Paul Zak whose analysis suggests that trust and guilt are equally strong motivators, so when people trust and that emotion is reciprocated our brain releases a neuropeptide that in turn promotes social bonding and drives cooperation.
However, even without those conclusions, Shaw loves what she does not only because of her customers, but because it reflects what she learned growing up, then also gives her the opportunity to help educate the public.
Raised on the property where her Farm Barn now stands, Shaw represents the third generation on the ranch, following in the footsteps of her parents Delmar and Hanne Friedrichsen who purchased the farm from her grandparents.
In its early days, the ranch had some 70,000 chickens but there were also sheep and eventually became the place where Shaw kept her 4-H livestock projects and discovered the importance of presentation, a lesson that she says directly translates to the business world.
Shaw also recalled how much she enjoyed growing up on the ranch, citing egg and mud fights, playing in tree forts and riding dirt bikes which provided endless amounts of fun, but also remembered the responsibilities involved saying, “I was my dad’s sheep manager, so I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in town with my friends. I had to come home and work.”
She doesn’t consider that a bad thing necessarily because it helped her to value and develop a work ethic, learn about commitment and what it means to be depended upon.
“Being part of a farm family teaches you about hard physical work, time management, using your imagination and so much more. For me, I now carry all that everyday into my adult life.”
Yet, despite her love of the lifestyle, Shaw first took a different direction after attending Santa Rosa Junior College, spending about a decade doing hair before opening a mobile coffee trailer called Jungle Java. But after the birth of her second child, she came to the realization that it was important to stay at home with her family rather than driving her mobile unit to various locations in the early morning hours.
Thus, she sold the business and returned to the ranch where she and her husband Darren built their home and ultimately raised their three boys Doren, Dawson and Dalton or, “the 5D Family” as they call themselves collectively.
Soon after, she leased three acres from her dad, cut back the number of chickens from 3,000 to 500 and embarked on producing and selling pasture raised eggs with the help of Darren and the boys.
Of the boys, Shaw laughingly says “They helped more than they wanted to feeding and gathering eggs,” while Darren with his excavation equipment helps her rotate the location of her mobile coops.
While the enterprise has been a family affair, choosing to raise chickens in a pasture, which is the way it was originally done on the ranch, is challenging in the sense that no matter the weather or situation, they have to act in the best interests of their birds. Still, it’s something Shaw says is all worth it because, “Our chickens are happy and that’s the way it should be.”
Although she started out selling just eggs, while visiting another stand in Sonoma that sold honey, she decided to add that as a provision as well.
Since that time, in addition to the chicken, duck and emu eggs that she produces, the Farm Barn features nine or 10 other products including seasonal produce, jams and salsa, all from other local small businesses. Featuring those items, she feels is important for growing the network that provides fresh, homemade goods.
Still, it’s the eggs, which are never more than one or two days old, that she always keeps well-stocked because with customers coming in from all over the Bay Area, she doesn’t want to disappoint them by having them drive all that distance and not find what they are looking for.
As for her entrepreneurial sense, it is something that she feels runs in her family, commenting that “I saw my dad make things happen when egg prices were down. He would shear sheep and clip cows. My sister Lynn is the same way; she had Marvin’s restaurant and now operates Airbnbs.” I guess it’s just something we learned or inherited.”
Nonetheless, the service she provides is an essential part of the lifeblood of local agriculture as SCFB Executive Director Dayna Ghirardelli, who recently hosted Shaw on an episode of the “From Farm to Table” Radio Show explained, “Farm stands may be small in scale, but they play an important role in the larger picture of agricultural viability. They create an opportunity to connect people with the farmers who grow their food and with the land that produces it. They see agriculture in their community and develop a greater appreciation for the farmers and ranchers who make it possible. Additionally, farm stands can provide landowners with another opportunity to keep their land in production and help ensure that agricultural land remains that way for generations to come.”
From the outset, Shaw has made education a priority at the Farm Barn, agreeing with Ghirardelli about the importance of local farm to fork operations like hers to the sustainability of agriculture in places like Sonoma County.
“Education is another reason I wanted to have the Farm Barn. I host elementary schools and it’s so much fun to see the thrill the kids get when they get to pick up a chicken and hold it or be able to scratch Buddy the pig. People also ask questions about what they see here because they want to know about the process of producing eggs. It’s 100 percent important that both kids and adults learn and understand about animals that produce the food they eat and how fresh it is by virtue of living here in Sonoma County.”
Moreover, Shaw participates in Sonoma County Farm Trails and their Fall Tours which brings hundreds of visitors to the Farm Barn where they step into her corral and interact with her sheep, goats, baby ducks and chicks along with her pig and emus, Frito and Dirito.
She also has sponsored Easter egg hunts where she says her goal has been to give children the opportunity to come to the country, play in a field, take in some fresh air and just be kids, for as she says, “A lot of kids don’t get that opportunity so I feel very fortunate that I can provide it.”
Without question, opening a business that runs on an honor system is a risk, but for Shaw, it all makes perfect sense as she explained, “The Farm Barn is a combination of what I knew and a desire to share it. I knew it would work out because my dad taught me well and has always been there to guide me. There are a lot of good lessons in operating on the honor system. It makes my customers feel good that they are doing the right thing and I’m proud that we are focusing on the community and providing things they love.”
Ultimately, Shaw’s Farm Barn is a perfect example of the uncredited phrase, “Keep your friends close and your farmers closer,” as she promotes the purchase of local food and develops meaningful relationships with her customers, while in the process supporting and promoting agriculture in Sonoma County.
