Our Story
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!
Established in 2020…
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 - 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 - Owner
Jillian (she/her) lives in Two Harbors with her family of 3, 1 dog and 6 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 also a wedding officiant and is available to Agate Acres couples. Jillian is a block print artist, loves all things Minnesotan, hiking, paddling & gardening.
Jillian - Events & Admin Assistant
Osiris - Field Manager
Osiris (he/him) - After five years running a farm in Northern New Mexico, Osiris has returned to Minnesota. He is excited to set down Roots and grow so many beautiful flowers at Agate Acres. Outside of farming, he enjoys picnics with his partner and dog, hiking, and fermenting seasonal vegetables.
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
Kylli - Farm Crew
My name is Kylli Anderson and I am so thrilled to be coming back to Agate Acres for my 2nd year. I grew up on a hobby farm near Bemidji, where we raised goats, chickens, and a whole lot of veggies. Growing up alongside the earth and the animals fostered an early passion for land stewardship and a deep curiosity about the many intricacies of the natural world. This passion led me to pursue a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, which opened the door to many incredible adventures and learning experiences. Along the way, I’ve been able to explore the beauty of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, collect forest regeneration data in southeast Alaska, explore the diverse landscapes of New Zealand through WWOOFing, and study a troop of olive baboons in the Kenyan savannah. But now I feel a pull to deepen my roots and build community here in the Northwoods, where I now live with my partner. In my freetime, you can find me dancing to live music, exploring new trails, tending to my ever-growing collection of houseplants, or jumping in the big lake!
Joe - Farm Crew
Howdy y’all, my name is Joe! I am super stoked to be working at Agate Acres as a crew member this summer! Although I enjoyed being outdoors growing up, I really tapped into my love and appreciation for the natural environment when I moved up to Duluth in 2021 to study Environmental and Outdoor Education. Since then, I have centered my life around living and working as immersed in the world around me as I possibly can, recreating and working seasonal jobs in the places I hold dearest. Outside of the farm, you can find me with a pair of hiking or winter boots on, wondering off in the woods somewhere, as well as baking sweet treats, canoeing the Boundary Waters, and playing/listening to live music. I hope to run and operate a hobby farm of my own one day, so I’m really looking forward to learning more about flower/veggie farming at Agate Acres, while working alongside some amazing humans! Cheers!
Molly - Farm Crew
Molly (she/her) is a transplant to the North Shore from Minneapolis. She is a member of the farm crew at Agate Acres and a licensed massage therapist in Duluth. In her free time, you can find her building out a school bus with her partner, learning to fly fish, and taking a dip in Mama Su. She is very excited to get to know everyone (especially Dera and Pretzel) and learn about the huge variety of flowers on the farm!
Lily - Events Crew
An OG of the North Shore, Lily loves many things; spreadsheets, expressions of love, smelling flowers, purple, and reading books about unlikeable women behaving badly. Not only will Lily be working at Agate Acres this year, she is also getting married there in August! . She will also probably cry at every wedding this year, you have been forewarned. With a fresh degree in social work and crisis intervention training, she is ready for anything. She can also drive stick shift.
Krista - Events Crew
Krista (she/her) is so excited to spend another summer on the farm! She is a lifelong food and outdoorsy person who delights in creating special moments for guests. It’s a real treat to get to combine all of those things at Agate Acres.
Grace - Events Crew
Grace (she/her) grew up in Cloquet, but now calls Duluth home. I enjoy soaking up the sun, rock picking at the lake, sewing, and drinking coffee! I am excited to work at the beautiful farm while helping make the events as magical as they can be!
Parker - Events Crew
My name is Parker (she/her) and I was born and raised in Duluth. I have a background in Environmental Studies and have experience working on farms in the past. I love working with the land and community and spending time outdoors. When I'm not working I'm usually knitting, cooking, or listening to live music. I'm excited to help make the events at Agate Acres come to life!
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.
