A Mushroom-Fueled Mission for Regeneration
We believe mushrooms can save the world — and we’re here to prove it, one block of sawdust at a time.
We’re Cassie and Patrick — partners in life, farming, and wild visions. Together, we run Sole Connection Farm, a regenerative micro-farm in Arlington, Vermont, specializing in gourmet and medicinal mushrooms, small-batch apothecary goods, and alcohol-free extracts. Our work is rooted in climate resilience, community nourishment, and reimagining what it means to farm in harmony with nature — and each other.
We grew this — together.
🍄 Patrick McLaughlin
Co-Founder • Systems Thinker • Mushroom Devotee
I believe mushrooms can change the world.
I came to farming through questions: How do we build resilient food systems? What if farming didn’t generate waste? What if we could grow food and medicine in harmony with nature and still feed our communities?
Those questions led me to mushrooms. Their intelligence, adaptability, and regenerative potential captivated me — and they haven’t let go.
At Sole Connection, I design and manage our nearly zero-waste cultivation system using upcycled materials: sawdust from local carpenters, spent straw and hay from nearby farms, and used coffee grounds from local restaurants. Once the mushrooms have done their job, the spent substrate blocks are composted into rich soil that nourishes our gardens and surrounding land.
I grow twelve varieties of gourmet mushrooms, plus medicinal species like reishi and turkey tail. I harvest around 200 pounds a week for restaurants, farm stands, and community customers.
Beyond growing, I lecture on fungal remediation at places like the Bennington College — and I’m working to create infrastructure that supports more small growers in this region. My long-term vision? To make fungi a foundation for local food security, climate resilience, and soil health.
This isn’t just a job — it’s a regenerative mission disguised as a farm.
🌿 Cassie Meiswinkel
Co-Founder • Herbal Maker • Creative Force
For me, this farm is medicine.
Sole Connection began with a deep desire to live closer to the land — not just physically, but emotionally, creatively, spiritually. I’ve always been drawn to the places where healing meets storytelling, where the body meets the wild, where old ways are remembered and revived.
I craft all of our alcohol-free tinctures, tonics, and herbal goods — using slow, intentional extraction processes that honor the integrity of the plant or mushroom. My formulations are created for sensitive systems and seekers of natural, potent medicine without harsh additives or shortcuts.
Beyond the apothecary, I steward our voice — writing the content, designing the labels, crafting the brand story. I believe how we speak about our work matters just as much as what we grow.
This farm is more than a business. It's how we raise our kids. How we reconnect to the land. How we remember who we are. Every bottle, bundle, and block is part of a larger offering: one that invites people to return to what’s real, what’s seasonal, what’s alive.
I’m here for beauty, integrity, and root-level healing — and I believe that mushrooms are only the beginning.
🌱 Meet Our Littlest Co-Farmers
This farm is a family thing — rooted in love, soil, and the wild joy of raising children close to the land.
Our three kids — Avalia, Milo, and Finley — are as much a part of Sole Connection as the mushrooms themselves. You’ll find them barefoot in the garden, helping turn compost, asking curious questions about turkey tail, or offering taste tests on new herbal blends (sometimes too enthusiastically).
They remind us every day why we do this:
To build a life that nourishes, heals, and regenerates from the inside out.
To model stewardship, not burnout.
To raise little humans who know where their food comes from — and who see magic in the mycelium.
Avalia is our budding artist and dancer. Milo is the tinkerer, already designing his own mini mushroom projects. Finley? He’s our joyful wild thing — happiest when muddy and mushroom-hunting with a big grin.
Sole Connection isn’t just a business.
It’s our family legacy — and our children are growing right alongside it. 🌾
ABOUT THE SOLE CONNECTION FARM
🌱 Our Roots
Where land, family, and fungi meet
Sole Connection Farm began with a simple desire: to live closer to the earth, in rhythm with nature, and in service to something greater than ourselves. What started as an experiment in mushroom cultivation soon became a living, breathing ecosystem — a small regenerative farm rooted in soil health, slow processes, and seasonal reciprocity.
Tucked in the hills of Arlington, Vermont, our family-run operation grows gourmet and medicinal mushrooms using reclaimed local materials — sawdust, straw, spent hay, and soon, coffee grounds — transformed into nutrient-rich substrate. What can’t be used to grow mushrooms gets composted back into the land to nourish our soil-grown herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Nothing wasted. Everything cycled.
We also share this land with a beloved mix of animals — chickens, goats, and more — who help us cultivate fertility, balance, and joy in our daily rhythm. Their presence is part of the cycle here: tending the land, enriching the soil, and reminding us to slow down and care deeply.
We specialize in alcohol-free mushroom and herbal extracts, crafted in small batches with reverence and care. Our process is slow and intentional — honoring both the traditional wisdom behind each plant and the integrity of modern extraction techniques. From our indoor grow rooms to the wild medicine patch out back, everything we make is touched by hand and infused with heart.
Sole Connection is more than a farm — it’s a living collaboration between humans, fungi, plants, animals, and place. It’s also the rhythm of our family life: shared work, shared meals, muddy boots, and the steady return to what matters most.
We believe in community care, climate resilience, and the power of slow-grown medicine. Whether you’re seeking immune support, nourishment, or deeper connection, we’re honored to share what we grow with you.
Welcome to the root system. This is where it all begins. 🌾
🌾 Our Commitment
To the land, the medicine, and to you
We believe that the quality of what we offer begins long before a bottle is filled. It begins in the soil, in the relationships we tend — with the land, the plants, the fungi, the animals, and each other.
At Sole Connection Farm, we are committed to:
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Regenerative practices that give more than they take — composting waste, recycling materials, building healthy soil, and honoring seasonal rhythms
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Slow, small-batch production that prioritizes potency, care, and connection over scale
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Alcohol-free extracts made with integrity, transparency, and gentle methods
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Reciprocity with the earth — always asking how we can contribute, not just consume
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Family farming as a way of life — where our work is personal, embodied, and deeply rooted
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Accessibility and education, so our customers feel empowered in their wellness journeys
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And above all, respect — for the medicines, for the people who use them, and for the ecosystems that make it all possible
We don’t believe in shortcuts. We believe in stewardship — in showing up every day to grow something real, regenerative, and resilient.
Thank you for walking this path with us. You’re not just supporting a farm — you’re part of the connection.