Advertising PROS Now Enjoy Running their Own Farm

Dave and Joanne Lenweaver started devoting full time to their farm after they retired in 2019. Today, the business sells gourmet specialty food products, including olive oils, blended balsamic vinegars and spice rubs

By Margaret McCormick

 

For some people, retirement means leaving their jobs, moving to a sunny state, playing golf and walking on the beach.

For others, retirement means putting their “side hustle” on the front burner and tapping their entrepreneurial spirit, while enjoying the perks of not being tethered to a full-time job.

Dave and Joanne Lenweaver, age 70 and 73, respectively, are in the latter category.

The Lenweavers, who live near Tully, are the founders of Clean Slate Farm. Their micro-farm traces its roots to 2009, when the couple left their longtime home in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood and wiped the slate clean, so to speak, to embark on a new life in the countryside south of Syracuse.

One of the first things Dave did was to establish a series of raised garden beds to allow them to grow more of their own food, including tomatoes, squashes, corn, herbs and garlic. Later, they added an apiary (for honey), chickens for eggs, and some goats.

Over time, Clean Slate Farm has evolved into a brand of gourmet specialty food products, including olive oils, blended balsamic vinegars and spice rubs. They also make hand and lip balms using beeswax from their own hives.

They call themselves a “small team with a big dream,’’ and are fixtures at local markets like the Fayetteville Farmers Market and Cazenovia Farmers Market, in season. They also pack up their tables, business banners and products and take part in special events, like the Little Falls Cheese Festival, the Junior League of Syracuse Holiday Shoppes, the Night Market at SKY Armory in Syracuse and the Great New York State Food & Wine Festival in Clayton. Their products are available at select retail locations in Central New York, including 20/East in Cazenovia, Epicuse in downtown Syracuse, and Rhubarb in Skaneateles.

When you consider Dave and Joanne’s professional backgrounds, the Clean Slate Farm brand makes perfect sense.

At one time, the Lenweavers were partners in Lenweaver Advertising + Design, an advertising and marketing company that served clients like The Stilton Cheesemakers Association, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, the Vermont Cheese Council and others.

In 2002, Dave shifted gears and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Following graduation, he worked at several fine dining restaurants in Central New York, in both kitchen and management positions. He retired in 2019.

Joanne went on to serve as director of the WISE (Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) Women’s Business Center in Syracuse. She spent a decade there, helping women envision, launch, grow and promote businesses through a program of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Whitman School at Syracuse University. She retired in 2019.

Dave has always spent much of his leisure time cooking, canning and freezing using the bounty from his garden. He started adding ingredients like Black Mission figs and their own homegrown garlic to balsamic vinegar and friends who tasted it loved it.

“They said, ‘oh, this is good. How can I get some?,’’ Dave recalled. “Everything sort of grew organically from there.’’

The Lenweavers found a source for balsamic vinegar and began buying it in bulk. They started out small, adding figs and garlic to small barrels of the vinegar and letting it macerate for several months. Over time, the fruity, dark vinegar absorbs the flavors of the ingredients added to it. The vinegar is then strained, bottled and labeled.

Before long, they added ginger balsamic vinegar and maple balsamic vinegar, infused with local maple syrup, to the Clean Slate lineup. Olive oils seemed like a natural complement to the vinegars. They found a producer in California who adds ingredients like basil leaves and lemons to the olives at the time of crushing.

Clean Slate Farm now offers six flavors of premium infused olive oils (garlic, basil, lemon, Italian herb, rosemary and sage), plus marinades/dipping oils, spice blends, a popcorn seasoning, and CinnaMaple, a blend of cinnamon and granulated maple sugar that’s at home on toast, French toast and fresh fruit and in baking.

“All of our products are made with all-natural ingredients,’’ Dave said. “It’s all small-batch stuff.’’

The Lenweavers love the creativity that goes into their products, their collaborations with other local producers and the personal connections they make at markets and events, where customers can sample their oils and vinegars.

They aren’t sure if they’ll introduce any new products this year, but they’re always thinking about product development. Customers have asked for a hot chili oil, for example, and they might introduce a new balsamic vinegar. Peach is a possibility.

Dave is the brand’s “big picture” person, and he recently introduced Clean Slate Farm Kitchen, a private group on Facebook where members can discuss food and cooking and CSF products — and share recipes. Recipes and cooking instruction can also be found on the Clean Slate Farm YouTube channel. Joanne is always on the lookout for new markets and events for them to set up shop.

One thing the Lenweavers want to do this year is boost Clean Slate Farm’s digital presence and sales. Most of their sales are through markets, events and retail gourmet shops, but some customers find them online.

Dave recently asked a customer from Georgia how he found them. “I searched for specialty oils and vinegars,’’ the customer replied. Boom.

“This has grown into something so much more than we ever thought it would,’’ Dave added.

For more information about Clean Slate Farm, visit www.cleanslatefarm.com.