Seed Award Spotlight: Fennigan’s Farms

In our “Seed Award Spotlight” series, we asked the Fall 2024 Seed Award winners about their experience as a food or farm entrepreneur, including the passion behind their business, and their vision for positive change in their community. This January, 18 Seed Award winners were chosen to receive seed funding totaling almost $250,000. These grants represent not just financial investment, but an acknowledgment of the vital role farms and food distributors play in advancing Michigan’s food value chain.

One of the honored recipients of this year’s award is Fennigan’s Farms, a visionary urban farm and design firm based in Detroit, Michigan. Established in 2019 by a group of siblings, Fennigan’s Farms is dedicated to revolutionizing food access and fostering community resilience through sustainable agricultural practices and innovative urban design. The team at Fennigan’s integrates Afrofuturistic principles with Black and Indigenous land cultivation techniques to create a sustainable future for their community. Their approach not only enhances food sovereignty but actively engages the local community through educational workshops and skill-building sessions, all aimed at nurturing a healthier, more self-sufficient Detroit.

Keep reading to learn more about Fennigan’s Farms and how their unique blend of community-centered design and sustainable agriculture is cultivating change and empowerment in Detroit.

Name: Amanda Brezzell            
Business Name : Fennigan’s Farms Design and Development 

What does being selected as a Seed Award winner mean to you personally, and how does it reflect on the journey of your business so far?               

Being selected as a winner is a big step for us as a community resource and design business. We have put a lot of time, resources, and energy into developing a safe space for the community and towards becoming an access point for food sovereignty. This work is truly a labor of love for our community, and we have demonstrated that with every item we grow, event we host, and contribution made to supporting our neighborhood. It means a lot to us to be seen and supported in this work. Thank you!           

In what ways will the Seed Award funding support your immediate and long-term business goals?

Our ultimate goal in our farming and design work is to build resilience through developing our farm’s resilience hub components and designing similar spaces that can support other neighborhoods. This funding will support the development of our market and food distribution space, our community programming area, and the addition of new team members. We believe that each of these immediate changes will support our long-term goals and will help us to remain as a resiliency hub for our neighborhood.                  

Can you share your vision for the positive changes this award will enable you to make in your business and the broader community?               

The award will go towards the development of a market space for food distribution and a community programming area. In addition to market space, these areas will be used to host community gatherings and meals, workshops, and farming skillshares related to community resilience, art, political education, racial equity, and more. We will be able to expand the space we use to grow florals, dyes, fibers, and free produce. Having more food for distribution to the community will increase the amount to neighbors we can serve, and expanding our other growing spaces will allow us to grow more value-added goods to compete in the local market, generating revenue that will help sustain this aspect of our business. Our funding will also support the addition of new team members who can support us as we expand. This will give senior staff more time to work on our design concepts, and will allow us to consult with other neighborhoods more efficiently to support their efforts to build resilience.         

What led you to start your business? What motivates you to do what you do?

We are a sibling-owned sustainable design studio and urban farm committed to supporting food sovereignty and community resilience in our hometown of Detroit. We started this work because we believe in a liberated future where we have built out sustainable systems for community growth and an equitable, locally-led food system. Because of this, we offer sustainable land and structure reuse design services for communities, rebuilding indoor and outdoor spaces to support the earth and community. On the land that we steward, we grow cut flowers, herbs, fibers, and culturally relevant produce. All produce is donated to the surrounding community, while our herbs, fibers, and flowers are transformed into bouquets, textiles, and other value-added goods.

Want to try produce from Fennigan’s Farms or check out their outdoor design studio? Visit their website to find their Detroit location and learn more about their services. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram.