Our Story
Established in 2020…
It all started serendipitously when Kyle and Emily met in 2017 at the Lake Superior Harvest Festival while standing in line for ice cream. And the rest is history… well, there are a few more details.
Emily and Kyle always knew they wanted to start a farm and events business, and in the summer of 2020 they got the amazing opportunity to do so! They, along with Margaret (Kyle’s mom), purchased the historic Piirainen farm outside of Two Harbors.
This property has been a farm since at least 1915, when the first generation of the family immigrated from Finland and started a dairy. Over the decades, the next generations raised potatoes, veggies, horses, turkeys, hayed the fields, and stewarded the land.
We are honored to now be the stewards of this amazing chunk of land, to share its bounty and beauty with our community, and to hold space for folks to celebrate!
Our Team
Kyle (he/him) grew up in Seattle, and has lived in Arizona, California, and Oregon. He is a veteran of the US Coast Guard, which brought him to Duluth in 2015. He is fantastically mechanically minded and has spent time working as a beer brewer, bike mechanic, carpenter, deck hand on tug boats, and lumber yard manager. He is the Facilities and Physical Systems Director here at Agate Acres, meaning he builds buildings, creates irrigation systems, organizes resources, fixes tractors, and moves so much snow. He also does a bit of bookkeeping. Kyle loves to bike, curl, and winter camp in his free time!
Kyle Cook - Owner
Emily (she/her) grew up in Duluth on her family's hobby farm. She has farmed on and off since 2012 in New England and Minnesota. She worked for 5+ years in the non profit world and even found herself starting and owning an outdoor gear retail store. She is a natural networker and her entrepreneurial spirit drives her. Here at Agate Acres, Emily is the Business Director and Lead Farmer and Floral Designer, spending her time building websites, crop planning and wholesale marketing, talking with prospective couples, floral design, and planning community events.
Emily Richey - Owner
Jillian (she/her) lives in Two Harbors with her family of 3, 1 dog and 5 chickens. She wears many hats at Agate Acres but mostly helps Emily with all the administrative tasks of running a farm and wedding venue. Jillian is a block print artist, loves all things Minnesotan, hiking, paddling & gardening.
Jillian Helleloid - Events & Admin Assistant
Pretzel the cat was born on a farm in Aitkin MN in the spring of 2016. After apartment life in his younger years, he is JAZZED to be living on the farm. Pretzel is a great mouser, companion while weeding, and the ultimate cuddler. In his free time he likes to sleep, stare into the wood stove, and eat fancy cat food.
Pretzel - Farm Cat
Dera started her life as a stray in North Dakota. After surviving parvo and having a litter of puppies, she came to Agate Acres in the spring of 2021. She is a Siberian husky, Australian Cattle Dog, and Brittany Spaniel mix and a heck of a farm dog. She is a better mouser than Pretzel, great with chickens, loves people, and puts up with other dogs. She too, is quite the cuddler. In her free time, she likes to get the zoomies, sleep, hide bones, and do her darnedest to catch the red squirrels.
Dera - Farm Dog
Join our team!
Our Mission
Agate Acres Farm & Events aims to encourage connection to food, community, and place by stewarding the land, providing space to gather, and cultivating celebration.
Our Vision
The vision for Agate Acres Farm & Events is to be a
fruitful and sustainable, seasonal business that
embodies the values of fun, quality, stewardship,
community, welcoming, creativity, and honesty. The
farm strives to achieve its mission through a
balanced mix of agricultural production and event
hosting.
