Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandon Breaux. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brandon, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My introduction to resilience began in childhood, I worked from a very young age and faced numerous life challenges that would take the vast majority of people in a negative direction. By the grace of God, I was able to gain a perspective that showed me the choice of an excuse or a purpose. I chose to make it my purpose. Countless unique life experiences/perspectives that have challenged that statement constantly. My time in the military really stands out because of the extreme situations I experienced that few in our Nation have encountered and survived to tell.
I’ve never had a bad thing happen to me, because I have chosen to learn from it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
A short time after I met my wife, I was struck with severe cluster headaches that lasted over four and a half months. Thus began numerous unexplained medical conditions that have been reoccurring ever since. Enduring an arduous journey of testing, speculation, and experimental treatment resulted in my medical retirement from the military and the end of my aviation career. Prescribed a litany of medications that all began to interfere with my quality of life and further exacerbate my physical well-being combined with the responsibilities of supporting a new young family and the complexities of my health, we decided to make a complete change.
Through extensive research of holistic living, I discovered that the illnesses I had developed were directly combated by the medicinal powers of locally grown American elderberry and elderflower products and have incorporated it into our family’s diet. Research has unveiled that the overwhelming majority of elderberry products are made with dehydrated berries that are imported from Europe and are significantly watered down. The scientific data proving American Elderberry is far superior, inspired my embarkment on a journey that has taken me all over the United States; allowing apprenticeship opportunities at farms learning firsthand about this incredible super fruit.
In the spring of 2016, Cockeyed Farms became the first Elderberry Farm in the state of Louisiana. An opportunity to grow further presented itself and we moved to the Northshore. Securing property with an established organic blueberry orchard, I set to work clearing forest to farmland and planted a second elderberry orchard in the spring of 2021. Renovation ensued to convert space into a commercial processing kitchen and expansion of the on-site apiary was established.
We homeschool our children, ensuring that Reese and Levi are involved in every part of the entrepreneurial process of managing the farm and the business. Devoting 100% of our time to the successful growth of the beyond organic American elderberry and blueberry orchards, on-site apiary and FDA Licensed Food and Beverage Manufacturing Facility, Cockeyed Farms is proud to be Homegrown by Heroes Certified Louisiana growers and producers.
Utilizing organic practices and with the understanding that FOOD IS FUEL; we are excited to offer small batch American Elderberry, blueberry and honey products that feature organically grown, nutrient dense ingredients, meticulously crafted from our family of farms to your kitchen table.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Fear, Honesty & Integrity.
“Fuel Your Fear” – if you aren’t challenging yourself by failing at something, then you are not reaching anywhere near your full potential.
Honesty: If you are not honest with yourself/hold yourself accountable, then how can you ever hold anyone else to a higher standard? Positive talk and/or wishful thinking is completely different than being honest with yourself and working with integrity. I can openly say that I have never burned a bridge with any job that I have ever left. Many people were upset when I moved on, but it was because they were disappointed to lose the asset that I was.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
There are a litany of challenges when tackling any agriculture industry. That litany is further compounded when its an inaugural agriculture industry. However, the largest obstacle in my way right now is the adulteration and lack of integrity in the majority of people selling elderberry products. With the rise in popularity of elderberry, everyone from home cooks to established retailers have jumped on the bandwagon to make a quick buck, completely negating the nutritional value by marketing european elderberry products as local. What could be a revolutionary super food in today’s medicine is being turned into a watered down, cheap fad.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cockeyedfarms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cockeyed_farms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cockeyed-Farms/100039814276351/
Image Credits
Abbie Bourgeois
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