WHO WE ARE
An ally for farmers, food hubs & funders.
Blue Ridge Foodshed Commons is a public benefit company — forming the connective tissue between funders and food-system leaders in Western North Carolina.
We focalize non-extractive investments, resources and innovations into our region so they can be distributed in a decentralized fashion to the grassroots initiatives and organizations that are key to our shared vision of a thriving local food economy.
We are rooted in the region we serve — nurtured by the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains we get to call home. We honor this land, its people, and its rich history.
We’re a catalyst between what is and what can be — sparking insights and deeper understandings that become possible when all members of our foodshed, from farmers to funders, see themselves as valued stewards of one interconnected living ecosystem.
Our leadership team has founded, run and guided small businesses and corporations. We bring a unique synergy of expertise in food & farming, regenerative entrepreneurship & finance, and whole-systems design.
Core Stewards
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Holly McCann
CO-FOUNDER & VISION TENDER
Holly brings more than 30 years of executive leadership in three diverse careers to her regenerative stewardship approach. From this depth and breadth of wisdom, she designs the legal, governance, financial, and operational architecture not for the world as it is, but for the one that is emerging — and for the one that world asks us to become.
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Andrea DuVall
CO-FOUNDER & COMMUNITY TENDER
Andrea built bridges between farmers and communities for 13 years as CEO and Co-founder of Mother Earth Food, navigating every aspect of regional food infrastructure — from aggregation and logistics to market partnerships and cross-sector collaboration. That breadth gives her a rare perspective on the realities of regional food systems.
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Jean-Paul Lausell
RESOURCE TENDER
With 20+ years spanning CFO, COO, and CEO roles, including in local food & farming, Jean-Paul has come to believe that place-based, regenerative finance is the future of value creation. He builds the multi-capital frameworks that translate regenerative vision into economic models that we can trust and invest in.
Advisory Council
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Aaron Grier
CO-FOUNDER,
GAINING GROUND FARM -
Lyric East
CO-FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR,
WILD EAST FARM -
Noah East
CO-FOUNDER & FARM OPERATIONS,
WILD EAST FARM -
Gray Shipley
PARTNER,
SHIPLEY FARMS BEEF -
Ines Katharina Kinchen
FOUNDER, EMERALD ARK
BIODYNAMIC BEE SANCTUARY -
Christopher Gergen
CEO,
REGENERATIVE ORGANIC ALLIANCE -
Alan Booker
FOUNDER, INSTITUTE OF
INTEGRATED REGENERATIVE DESIGN -
Evan Folds
FOUNDER, BE AGRICULTURE
ECOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEUR