We recently connected with Maria Vecchiolli and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maria, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
After graduating high school I worked with a job coach who helped me develop my skills and learn the importance of staying focused and helping others who need it. Since I started farming, watching my plants grow and thrive has motivated me to work hard to provide good produce to my customers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a farmer and dog groomer. I’ve been farming for almost 4 years now, and grooming dogs for 14 years. I love dogs, and I love the way they communicate with me while being groomed- tapping with their paw, etc. I used to groom my dogs for shows, but now I prefer just doing routine grooming for small dogs.
On the farm, I grow a combination of staple crops (onions, garlic, etc.) and less common produce, like figs and kiwi berries.
But I also love being surprised by what grows on its own. Last year I foraged Nipplewart, which had been growing on my farm plot, and found that it’s a delicious edible green, like a mild arugula. I renamed it to Goddess Greens and was able to sell it with the other greens that I had planted.
I also make my own soaps and hand-print tshirts, bags, and bandannas with my Maria the Farmer logo. I’ll be selling those and my fresh produce this Spring, at the Germantown Farmers Market every other Saturday, starting April 20th!
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?
Learning dog grooming from my step-mom, realizing I was a great bagger while working at Weavers Way Co-op, and planting my own peppers and tomatoes at home. Without my step-mom teaching me the skills for dog grooming, I would never have found my passion for it and been able to start my own business doing it. While working at Weavers Way a few years ago, I learned that I was a great bagger. Discovering this skill made me feel happy and proud, which motivated me to work harder. Planting my own peppers and tomatoes at home gave me the same feeling, which made me want to try growing more produce and herbs.
After graduating high school, my job coach taught me the importance of keeping focused. So my advice to everyone is to stay focused on your work.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
One of the staff members at my work program, Lindsey, has helped me a lot over the years that we’ve been working together. She lets me know when I’m doing something wrong, and has expanded my knowledge of farming, which has allowed me to improve my business and farming practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mariathefarmer.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maria_v_the_farmer/
- Other: https://vecchiollidoggrooming.square.site/
