Our Team

Rachel Britten

Owner/Operator/Farmer
Wheat, Rye and Lentils

Rachel Britten moved to Willits in 2012 to manage a teaching garden at John Jeaven’s Ecology Action. Working at E.A. galvanized Rachel’s desire to practice ecologically informed farming that addresses the need for full diet food production within a community. After meeting Doug Mosel In 2019, Rachel began the transition to being the Owner, Operator and Farmer at the Mendocino Grain Project. Originally from a farming family in Iowa, she now farms wheat, rye and lentils in Redwood Valley, California.

Doug Mosel

Founder/Farmer/Mentor
Wheat, Rye and Lentils

In response to a survey by the Anderson Valley Food Assessment Group, which underlined the need for staple crop production in Mendocino County, Doug started the Mendocino Grain Project in 2009. Over the next 10 years Doug grew the business to include growing, harvesting and milling flour as well as offering seed cleaning and harvesting services for other local farmers. Doug is still actively involved at the Mendocino Grain Project, collaboratively farming alongside Rachel and routinely consulting on field health and progress. Rachel jokingly refers to him as her Research & Design Department, which is not far from the truth!

Blake Richards
Farmer
Quinoa

Blake Richards of Wild Rose Farm, has been growing and harvesting quinoa in Humboldt county since 1992, which means he was growing quinoa since before it was cool! Blake initially met the Mendocino Grain Project through The Organic Seed Alliance. A passionate, certified organic farmer and land steward, Blake grows his quinoa along with a host of delicious vegetables in Blue Lake, California.

Stuart Shroeder
Farmer
Beans and Oats

Stuart Shroeder is a teacher, agriculture activist and farmer. Stuart has been obsessed with beans for as long as any of us can remember, originally growing beans and harvesting them alongside the grain project in 2012. He is now director of Shone Farm, which is the teaching farm at the Santa Rosa Junior College. As director he combines his passion and work, experimenting annually with bean varieties and cultivation tactics. Stuart personally developed our crowd favorite “Stu” bean! Stuart, along with the help of his students, grows all the speciality beans offered through the Mendocino Grain Project.

Vincent Barney
Farmer
Wheat, Rye and Lentils

Vincent is a lifelong farmer, growing hay and raising cattle in Covelo’s Round Valley. A warm and enthusiastic worker, Vincent is most at home in his fields. Since 2019 Vincent has been collaboratively farming 5-20 acres of delicious high quality grain with The Mendocino Grain Project. Alongside Rachel and Doug he produces wheat, rye and lentils.

Marvin Peachy
Farmer
Oats

Marvin is a certified organic farmer located in Fortuna, California. Built from the ground up, Marvin’s farm mainly focuses on the production of organic hay. Luckily for us, Marvin expanded his farming repertoire to include the cultivation of oats, and now grows most of the certified organic oats we offer through the Mendocino Grain Project. The seed that comes to use from Marvin is impeccably clean and pure, we feel lucky to be able to share what he grows!

John LaBoyteaux
Farmer/Mentor
Wheat, Rye and Bell Beans

John LaBoyteaux worked as a produce farmer for most of his life in Humboldt County. He eventually moved to Lake County where he began to farm grain and has been foundational to the development of our local grain economy. He is certified organic and through a number of leases in the county he grows wheat and rye for the mill and bell beans for cover crop seed. 2022 will be John’s last year of grain farming. We celebrate his contributions to local grain farming and are thankful for his continued support and mentorship.

John Gramke
Mentor

John Gramke has been a part of the Mendocino Grain Project almost since its inception. In 2009 John planted a field of canola without a plan for how to harvest. When he heard that Doug Mosel had bought a combine for the Mendocino Grain Project, he offered to teach Doug how to use it in exchange for harvesting his canola field. It turned out to be the exact combine that John had grown up using! Though John is no longer directly farming for the project he continues to support through delightfully unexpected, moral boosting visits and regular consulting.

Loraine Powell
Lead Miller

A registered nurse, Loraine moved to Willits to broaden her farming horizons and connect with land based practices in 2017. Loraine first became acquainted with the Mendocino Grain Project when she answered a call to help us package hundreds of pounds of food for our local food bank. Since then, she has become an invaluable team member in the mill, where she does the majority of our artisan stone milling and packing. The mill never looks as good as when Loraine is there- not only because of her flair for personal style but also due to her impeccable cleaning habits!

Donald Pivec

Bio on the way!

Dylan Jones Harvester/Farmer

Dylan began his journey in farming in Mendocino county as a multi-year intern at Live Power Farm in Covelo. He has been with the Mendocino Grain Project since early 2020, working alongside Doug and Rachel in the fields, troubleshooting equipment and executing field work. A real life cowboy, Dylan works cattle with multiple Covelo ranchers and is currently full time with the Magruder Ranch in Potter Valley, California.

Locally Harvested Dry Goods