Veteran-Owned Businesses Benefit From Homegrown By Heroes Program
In partnership with: Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Veterans across the country have benefitted from the Homegrown By Heroes program, a marketing initiative by the Farmer Veteran Coalition to promote and support veteran food producers and agribusinesses. In Indiana, the program continues to support a range of unique veteran-owned businesses.
See more: Across Generations: Hoosier Homestead Program Honors the Arnold Family
Suds of Success
When Mary Hobbs joined the U.S. Air Force, she didn’t yet know how her business, BeeHive Body Company, would evolve from her time in the military.
“I accidentally started a soap company as a jet mechanic,” Hobbs says.
After years of working in food catering, Hobbs was inspired to join the military after catering for the Indiana National Guard at Camp Atterbury. She landed in the Air Force, which allowed her to travel the world repairing fighter jets. When Hobbs and her fellow airmen struggled to clean up after working on jets, she turned to an unlikely resource.
“I went to the most dangerous place on earth, which is Pinterest,” Hobbs jokes, “and started looking up recipes on how to make soap.”
The soap was a hit among the crew. Years later, now that Hobbs has returned to civilian life, her small soap hustle has grown into a thriving business.
She returned to Indiana and opened a storefront in Mount Summit in 2018. BeeHive Body Company now sells everything from bar soaps and sugar scrubs to bath bombs, lip balms, lotions and more. Local Indiana-grown ingredients, such as goat milk, are essential.
“I wanted to highlight the agriculture of Indiana and the hard work these farmers do,” Hobbs says.
Through the Homegrown By Heroes program, Hobbs has access to educational seminars and assistance with grant writing and applying for business loans.
“They’re putting all of this technology and these training resources at our fingertips to help us be successful,” Hobbs says.
Growing a business has not been without its challenges, but Hobbs has found support from fellow veterans who understand the complex experience of returning to civilian life.
“You have to be able to adapt and overcome, and that is something the military really taught me,” she says. “Ninety percent of my business is driven by pure passion.”
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Support for Veterans
Purdue University hosts a range of resources available to veterans in agriculture. Ed Sheldon, outreach coordinator for the AgrAbility program at Purdue, also co-manages Indiana AgVets, a Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation grant project.
While AgrAbility aids farmers, ranchers and families affected by disability, the Indiana AgVets program focuses on finding resources for veterans interested in agriculture.
“We’re trying to bring veterans who might have an interest in a career in agriculture and get them involved,” Sheldon explains. “There are lots of opportunities.”
Indiana AgVets aims to assist veterans by connecting them with educational opportunities and tying in hands-on experience through internships and other opportunities. Since 2019, the program has helped connect veterans with partner organizations in everything from traditional farming to trucking and sustainable cooking.
“Our role is to get folks connected with opportunities that fit their interest,” Sheldon says.
According to Sheldon, many veterans come home to rural areas after their service. Whether individuals have an agricultural background or not, Indiana AgVets aims to connect veterans of all ages and experience levels with educational opportunities, support networks and funding opportunities.
Grown at Home
Through Indiana Grown, farmers and agribusinesses can apply for a Homegrown By Heroes label, which lets consumers know they are supporting veteran-owned businesses.
For veterans like Hobbs, the label is a way to acknowledge the hard work that has gone into building a business from the ground up.
“The biggest complaint I see across the board from veterans is we feel like we don’t fit in,” Hobbs says. “Veteran-owned businesses give us a way to fit in, in our very own niche way.”