Hello,
Thanks for landing here with us, in this space and in this time.
Tapalou Guilds is a smattering of plants and creatures nested in a beautiful valley in Guilford, Vermont.
Hanna Jenkins and Andy Loughney started Tapalou Guilds in 2015.
Hanna grew up in the Northeast Kingdom in Northern Vermont. She left for a few years to see what medium she would best grow in. She served in the Peace Corps in Honduras. When she returned a bit tattered and wild eyed she moved to Philadelphia where she worked as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence. This is where she met Andy and where they began their lives together. They decided to move to Vermont to see if maybe a more rural life would provide better for their individual and collective roots. Hanna pursued jobs in the non-profit sector, serving families and becoming active in issues of expanding access to local food for people in her community. While working in local agriculture she served as a Farm to School Coordinator and managed multiple local food buying clubs.
Hanna started growing flowers more seriously once she realized the joy and calling she had to be surrounded by as much natural beauty as possible. Hanna believes deeply that flowers hold uniquely inspirational qualities that support those around them.
Besides farming Hanna is most in love with being a Mama to her son, homeschooling, being with her dear friends, their dog Banjo, cooking, being in nature and witnessing the everyday magic that exists all around us.
Andy caught the farming bug in 2007 while working as an educator at The Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown, PA, near where he grew up. His experience on this non-profit dairy farm provided new insights into food production and land management and instilled in him a greater reverence for the outdoors and natural processes.
Andy met Hanna in 2009 and they moved to an off-grid cabin in southern Vermont the following year to explore their dreams of homesteading and living off of the land. Andy received a Permaculture Design Certificate in 2012 and also worked as the coordinator for Windham Farm & Food, a local food aggregation and distribution service.
In 2015, Andy and Hanna had the opportunity to purchase an old farmhouse in Guilford with an adjoining five-acre field and jumped at the chance to push their vision in different ways. Since then, Andy has planted hundreds of perennials that will ultimately mature into a food forest on the northern side of the field.
Andy can often be found doing various infrastructure improvements on the farm, broadforking the no-till vegetable beds, and looking to nature for insights and guidance in a busy world. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing and listening to music, reading, and constantly questioning. He aims to be a productive citizen of Earth and feels grateful to be here.
