Kelly Fragale
Dyami Soloviev
Tony Cho

Hudson Valley Seed Company

Accord, New York (Ulster County, Roundout Valley - between the Catskill Mountains and the Shawangunk Mountains)

The Hudson Valley Seed company describes themselves as “farmers and storytellers” who focus on locally-adapted varieties and act a “source for heirloom and open-pollinated garden seeds and beautiful garden-themed contemporary art.” Their art packs are part of what makes the company distinctive and compelling - every year they solicit artist to create gorgeous (and often quirky) designs for their seed packs to help tell the stories of the seeds.

The company owns and operates a 5-acre certified organic farm where they produce much of what they sell. They are also in the first phases of a major expansion that includes a new 100-acre property. I am excited for how our reflections on the regenerative potential of the company might inform their next phase of development.

• Located in your community or region: The company is located about 70 miles south of where I live, and it is near an area of the Roundout Valley where I have spent some time doing Change Agent Development workshops with Carol Sanford and Ethan Soloviev (Dyami’s husband) over the last 6 years. The Roundout Creek is a tributary to the Hudson River - I live in Albany, about a mile from the Hudson River, upstream from where the Roundout feeds into the Hudson.

• Completed or in final stages of completion: The company formally launched in 2009 but has its roots as a seed library that started in 2004.

• Designed initially with some level of green or sustainability aspiration: The initial aspiration came from Ken Greene’s interest in the local food movement and a desire to nurture discussion about the seeds from which our food comes.

• A contact person: Ken Greene, Co-Founder & Creative Director of Hudson Valley Seed Company. Dyami works for Ken at a different (but related) organization - the Hudson Valley Farm Hub.