Claire Parrish, a North Carolina native and dog lover, creates a plethora of products at her family’s farm, including mushrooms, wellness honey, flowers, and dairy products.  After a brief career in brand and product marketing, Parrish realized that her true passion lies in the restoration of her family’s century farm — a certification that indicates a farm has been owned and operated by the same family for longer than 100 years. 

What is your hometown?
New Bern, North Carolina.

Do you own any pets?
Yes, we rescued a hound dog named OD (named for Old Dan in Where the Red Fern Grows).

Who are your sports teams?
Farming is our hobby, so we don’t really have time to watch sports. 

How long have you been in Charlotte?
We relocated from Charlotte to Winston-Salem to restore our family’s N.C. Century Farm and steward it forward for future generations. We participate in the Davidson Farmers Market each Saturday and do pop-ups in Charlotte as well.

Tell us about your farm/specialities.
We specialize in mushrooms, fresh flowers, specialty honeys and hemp/CBD. We also create mushroom infusions from reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps into our honeys to create wellness honey.

Did you have a career before you started farming?
Yes, I had a corporate career in brand and product marketing for several large companies.

What is your favorite product to grow/cook?
Mushrooms! There is always more to learn about the amazing world of mushrooms and we love to grow, forage, and play with new ways to cook them each week.

What is your most popular product you sell?
Mushrooms and flowers.

What inspired you to start your agricultural business? What are your main goals you are hoping to accomplish?
We felt drawn back to our NC Century Farm to steward positive change to both the land and surrounding community through sustainable, restorative agriculture. We believe in the ability for a farm to be a connected center for wellness, learning, meaningful employment and celebration, and in creating spaces for those experiences.

What do you think the Charlotte agricultural scene needs?
It definitely needs more access to family farms providing sustainably-grown food by small-scale, craft producers in the region.

Where can we find/purchase your products?
Our online store https://www.heritageharvestfarms.com/shop-1, Davidson Farmers Market, Cobblestone Farmers Market, independent grocers, and fine restaurants in the area.

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