Staying open year-round has helped Beans & Greens farm retain staff

GILFORD — Innovative offerings at Beans & Greens Farm gained traction last winter — the second cold season the business stayed open — and owner Chris Collias believes the impetus to operate year-round will prove to be a win-win for staff and customers.

Had Collias chosen to close the farm in the fall, 14 staff members would have been out of work; instead, they collaborated in growing the farm on Intervale Road, raising morale. Customers will be greeted this spring by these same employees, who are not brand new to the job. They are seasoned teammates who feel valued and empowered.

Beans & Greens was able to stay open all winter for the first time in 2022 as the operation was weatherized, and the heating in the 1838 barn that houses the farmstand was upgraded. “After the first winter, I had to make a judgement call,” Collias said. “Does staying open, even though it’s not that profitable, make more sense than closing?”

The answer was a no-brainer. Collias grew up on Cape Cod, working summers in seasonal businesses, and his brother runs a seasonal firm there still. “Every year, he has to start staffing from scratch. If he gets a good team, it’s a good summer. If he doesn’t, it’s tough on him and his customers,” said Collias, who bought Beans & Greens in April 2021.

As it did in 2022, the business focused this winter on serving soups, prepared meals, coffee and breakfast sandwiches. New innovations included an expanded menu for their food truck, serving skiers in the Gunstock Ski Club, wholesale distribution of bakery items from muffins and pies to breads, and delivery of family-style meals on the weekends via a meal delivery app.

This spring and summer, a floral design division will launch, a concert series will resume with the addition of dueling piano performances, and the adventure park for children will expand.

“We like thinking up new ideas,” Collias said. “We like to fire ideas out there to see what works and then keep doing and refining them. Innovation keeps customers happy and teammates employed while open through the hard winter months.”

Serving on the slopes

Expanding beyond the farm-to-table taco menu this year for skiers at Gunstock, Beans & Greens prepared family-style soup and salad entrees. Farm staff would post the menu on the website and send it out to ski club members via email.

“They had until Friday morning to order and give us their time frame for pick-up,” Collias said of the Apres Ski program. “Then, they could roll off the mountain, stop at the food truck, and head back to their room.”

The catering division of Beans & Greens also had a good winter, serving up everything from deli sandwiches and comfort foods to tacos. “It gained traction,” Collias said.

Blooms and bouquets

Susan Ford, a staff member who once owned a flower design business, came on board in spring 2022 to run the perennial plant section and build a garden center.

“Through listening to customers and being there solving problems for them, she had the idea to create floral arrangements for sale,” Collias said.

The business now creates bouquets for weddings and other special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day.

“You can come in and buy something Sue has created,” he said.

Ford also creates gift baskets loaded with New Hampshire products.

“That concept really took off this year, especially around the holidays,” Collias said.

For the wee ones

Children can always find fun things to do at Beans & Greens while their parents shop.

Over the winter, staff created an indoor scavenger hunt. Older children could search for items that began with each letter of the alphabet, and young ones searched for items that matched photos on a printed sheet — fudge, a dog bone, honey.

“We made some people's day,” Collias said. “We had one little boy say while walking out the door, ‘I’m going to come here every day.’ Parents appreciated it, too.”

The petting zoo will reopen in mid-April, and this summer, in addition to the Jumping Jack and the Flying Bean Stock addition from 2022 — a jumping mat about a quarter the size of a football field for running and jumping — and a mini zip line, Beans & Greens will have a barrel car train, a racetrack for children and a vintage merry-go-round.

“Our mission is to create memories through family, farm, food and fun,” Collias said. “We want to be the place where the community meets.”

Visit beansandgreensfarm.com for concert dates and more information about events and children’s adventure options.