My dear friends Heinz and Gabrielle would never ask for your help and are not the kind of people to hold a grudge, so instead of asking permission, I’ll seek the forgiveness they would never withhold.
Their farm in Newburg, MD suffered a tragic loss on Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025. Around 10 pm, Gabrielle noticed their 75x100 grain house was on fire. Despite efforts by firefighters from three different counties, the flames proved to be too much. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in product, numerous grain cleaning, sorting, heating, drying and grinding machinery were destroyed in the fire by early morning. While insurance will cover the cost of certain things, it won’t meet the replacement value on anything. There once bustling grain mill is no more and the grain cultivated and grown for decades has vanished with the smoke. I am crushed for this passionate, hardworking, and humble family and am asking you to assist them in any way possible.
Next Step Produce was always ahead of its time cultivating wholesome, nutritious morganic (‘more than organic’) grains, fruits, vegetables, spices, and more for over 25 years. They have been supplying some of DC and Baltimore's finest restaurants, bakeries, and also used to be a feature at DC’s DuPont farmers market pre-Covid. After Covid, Heinz pushed full steam ahead with grain production, including varieties of rice, wheat, and beans. Every single machine used towards that endeavor has been lost to the fire. Grain growers from all over the East Coast would source Heinz and his setup to process their own grains. On top of that, decades of work and germination testing, along with all the seeds saved, were also consumed in the fire.
This loss is devastating, to say the least. Anything, including an encouraging word or gesture, would be of great help.
I thank you for reading this and I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers directed towards the Thomet family during this time.
For more information about their farm, visit: www.nextstepproduce.com
Organizer
Whitney Valcarcel
Organizer
Kurówka, MD