Urban Agrarian
From Farm-to-Home
More than ten years ago, Matt Burch, co-owner of Urban Agrarian, moved back from coastal Georgia where he was working on a farm.
“You know, I didn't even know of any farms around here. I grew up in Oklahoma, but I couldn't name a single farm by name and I was like, there has got to be farms back home. I found the Oklahoma Food Coop and started volunteering for them. Basically, the trouble with that model at the time was that it was a once-a-month distribution. I was looking for ways to spend more time with farmers, just participate in this whole thing a little more often.”
Matt Burch met Chelsey Simpson back then, while volunteering for the Oklahoma Food Cooperative.
“We were just both people really interested in local food that was around the time that Matt had founded Urban Agrarian”, says Chelsey Simpson, now co-owner of Urban Agrarian. “We're both really passionate about supporting Oklahoma’s Agriculture and finding better ways to connect consumers with local food to create markets for farmers.”
At Urban Agrarian’s start, Chelsey worked briefly for them at the summer market in Edmond, mostly for fun as she was happy to be paid regularly in peanut butter. Her career path took her to New York where she worked in food advocacy and communications, so it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that she became fully involved with the business.
“I worked for two different national nonprofits that advocated for food system reform over the past six years that I lived there. I kept in touch with Matt and he would give me updates on how the business was doing.”
Matt started Urban Agrarian by running a truck that still sits outside the store in OKC. He went to outdoor farmers markets, delivered to local restaurants, and even set up shop in a parking lot on 23rd street with a shade cloth.
In 2011, Matt was finally able to open a more permanent location on SW 2nd, in OKC’s Historic Farmers Market District. This location allowed Urban Agrarian to build stronger relationships with both farmers and local residents, providing real growth.
While the business was growing, it still struggled to make ends meet. In 2017, Matt announced on social media that he would be closing.
“I didn't realize at the time that making that announcement was just going to be the most popular thing I've ever done,” says Matt. “The phones kind of started ringing off the hook. People I would have never known to approach were contacting me.”
Local press picked that story up and it went a bit viral. There was an outpouring of support for Urban Agrarian.
The connection that gave Urban Agrarian the possibility of growth rebirth was with Jill Castilla, the President of Citizens Bank, who met with Matt and viewed the space at Urban Agrarian. Jill saw great potential, not just for the existing location, but to expand even further into a great location in downtown Edmond. Jill’s excitement, combined with the recent outpouring of support, was all the motivation Matt needed to give Urban Agrarian a second chance.
Upon speaking with Chelsey, who was now plotting a move back to Oklahoma, the idea for a partnership began to develop. He soon approached her about coming on as a co-owner. “My work in food aligned with what Matt was doing but it was very different…I didn’t know how to build a produce display. I didn’t know about how to keep a whole bunch of tomatoes fresh at the right temperature,” says Chelsey. “But you know it was probably the most exciting work offer I’d ever received because I was ready for something totally new.”
Chelsey arrived in the summer of 2017, making the staff total four. Together, they worked hard over the next year to raise more capital and plan out their new location. They were eventually able to pull everything together, but it was touch-and-go for a while.
“We basically were able to double our capacity for sales on a daily basis without doubling our entire infrastructure,” says Chelsey. “We saw that a permanent retail model was a lot easier to run. The business was operating before by selling to restaurants and in pop-up market, but that second retail location is really what enabled us to have a rebirth and to imagine what this business might look like over the next ten years.”
The kitchen at Urban Agrarian in the Farmer’s Market was owned by April Harrington, of Earth Elements Entrepreneurs Kitchen. Urban Agrarian was able to acquire that space so they could more fully utilize the kitchen for food preparation, processing, and preservation while April was able to move and expand her kitchen for rent business. It ended up being a win-win for both businesses and helped them both grow.
The Edmond location has a nice deli case in it with a butcher, cheese, and prepared food section. They hope to keep adding new items to both stores to make it easier for people to stop by and pick up healthy local food for a tasty lunch or to prepare dinner for their families.
“We also do a series of farm-to-table dinners throughout the year. We really want to keep that going and doing more events to help form community around Urban Agrarian,” says Chelsey.
Both locations are now open seven days a week with a mission to help foster a network of thriving local farms and provide access to healthy, high-quality food in their communities.
1235 SW 2nd Street, Oklahoma City
1 E Main Street, Edmond
