Help Our Winery & Vineyard Rebuild
Donation protected
Introducing Henscratch Farms Winery and Vineyard
Henscratch Farms Vineyard and Winery has been open almost 20 years. I’m Drew Jones and have been the owner and vintner for 10 years. The farm is located in Highland County, Lake Placid, FL. We have 20 acres we use for growing Muscadine grapes, blueberries and strawberries. We have become a major tourist attraction in Lake Placid and provide visitors 6 festivals a year, music concerts and provide U-Pick during season for our grapes, blueberries and strawberries. We also have 100 free range chickens that visitors enjoy feeding.
Our winery makes 13 types of wine, such as Country Strawberry, Country Blueberry, Blueberry Port, Country Walk, Golden Sunrise, Southern Magnolia, Red Sunset, and our famous Footstomped Wine (made from the grapes stomped at our annual Harvest Festival). We have received Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals at the Florida State Fair for every year we’ve submitted.
Why We Are Asking For Your Help
On September 11, 2017, Lake Placid was hit with the devastating Hurricane Irma. Unfortunately Henscratch Farms was severely damaged. We lost 35 percent of our Muscadine grape vines, snapped off at the roots. Newly planted vines take 3 to 5 years start producing for winemaking and U-Picking.
In addition to the grape vines we lost 2.5 acres of mature blueberry plants and our acre of hydroponic strawberry towers, both income streams during season for U-pick.
We lost our pavilion building, which we used for weddings, concerts, parties, and important part of our income stream. The storm also severely damaged a mobile home where festival workers were able to stay. Our storage trailer, where we used for maintaining festival supplies, was destroyed. Our chicken coops were damaged and lost some of our chickens to the storm. Since Hurricane Irma flooded the farm and we did not get electricity back for 10 days, our business suffered dramatically. With the loss of electricity, we lost all our product that required refrigeration or freezing, like ice cream inventory. Our bottled wine inventory stored in our winery also suffered with the lack of air conditioning.
(local news reports regarding Hurricane Irma in Highland County on September 11, 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWW0myf3nKQ , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_liOEmh6Zg , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABSZRbtNCNA ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YxwufQ2X6I)
We have exhausted any possible methods to receive assistance. FEMA would not help because we had insurance. Our insurance would not pay because we lacked to appropriate wind mitigation. After putting us through a three month loan application process, the Small Business Administration informed us that they do not provide business loans to agriculture businesses.
How We Will Spend Your Donations
I am asking for help to rebuild our farm. We would use your donation to rebuild the pavilion so we can start scheduling events again. Will rebuild the mobile home to provide a place for festival staff to stay and provide the storage needed for festival supplies. I will also replant the 2.5 acres of blueberry plants and rebuild the acre hydroponic strawberry field. We would also replenish the product lost due to loss of electricity, including wine stocks.
We feel it important to bring back an important Highlands County treasure and would like to rebuild Henscratch Farms to continue that tradition. We don’t want to let Hurricane Irma win. We want to have the wonderful place for families to come and enjoy the Florida countryside.
Thank You
Thank you so much for considering making a donation. Your help will be greatly appreciated!
Please Share
To help me get the word out, you can share my link on your Facebook timeline.
Henscratch Farms Vineyard and Winery has been open almost 20 years. I’m Drew Jones and have been the owner and vintner for 10 years. The farm is located in Highland County, Lake Placid, FL. We have 20 acres we use for growing Muscadine grapes, blueberries and strawberries. We have become a major tourist attraction in Lake Placid and provide visitors 6 festivals a year, music concerts and provide U-Pick during season for our grapes, blueberries and strawberries. We also have 100 free range chickens that visitors enjoy feeding.
Our winery makes 13 types of wine, such as Country Strawberry, Country Blueberry, Blueberry Port, Country Walk, Golden Sunrise, Southern Magnolia, Red Sunset, and our famous Footstomped Wine (made from the grapes stomped at our annual Harvest Festival). We have received Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals at the Florida State Fair for every year we’ve submitted.
Why We Are Asking For Your Help
On September 11, 2017, Lake Placid was hit with the devastating Hurricane Irma. Unfortunately Henscratch Farms was severely damaged. We lost 35 percent of our Muscadine grape vines, snapped off at the roots. Newly planted vines take 3 to 5 years start producing for winemaking and U-Picking.
In addition to the grape vines we lost 2.5 acres of mature blueberry plants and our acre of hydroponic strawberry towers, both income streams during season for U-pick.
We lost our pavilion building, which we used for weddings, concerts, parties, and important part of our income stream. The storm also severely damaged a mobile home where festival workers were able to stay. Our storage trailer, where we used for maintaining festival supplies, was destroyed. Our chicken coops were damaged and lost some of our chickens to the storm. Since Hurricane Irma flooded the farm and we did not get electricity back for 10 days, our business suffered dramatically. With the loss of electricity, we lost all our product that required refrigeration or freezing, like ice cream inventory. Our bottled wine inventory stored in our winery also suffered with the lack of air conditioning.
(local news reports regarding Hurricane Irma in Highland County on September 11, 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWW0myf3nKQ , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_liOEmh6Zg , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABSZRbtNCNA ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YxwufQ2X6I)
We have exhausted any possible methods to receive assistance. FEMA would not help because we had insurance. Our insurance would not pay because we lacked to appropriate wind mitigation. After putting us through a three month loan application process, the Small Business Administration informed us that they do not provide business loans to agriculture businesses.
How We Will Spend Your Donations
I am asking for help to rebuild our farm. We would use your donation to rebuild the pavilion so we can start scheduling events again. Will rebuild the mobile home to provide a place for festival staff to stay and provide the storage needed for festival supplies. I will also replant the 2.5 acres of blueberry plants and rebuild the acre hydroponic strawberry field. We would also replenish the product lost due to loss of electricity, including wine stocks.
We feel it important to bring back an important Highlands County treasure and would like to rebuild Henscratch Farms to continue that tradition. We don’t want to let Hurricane Irma win. We want to have the wonderful place for families to come and enjoy the Florida countryside.
Thank You
Thank you so much for considering making a donation. Your help will be greatly appreciated!
Please Share
To help me get the word out, you can share my link on your Facebook timeline.
Organizer
Drew Jones
Organizer
Lake Placid, FL