Austin’s Acres continues to grow

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

Fifteen-year-old Austin Maile might not be your usual-aged small-business owner, but he is surprising many with his savvy business ideas.

Maile has been running a booth for his business, Austin’s Acres, at local farmers’ markets for three years.

He sells fresh produce that is grown following organic principles on his parents’ hobby farm, as well as many preserved goods such as spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, chili sauce, tomato and basil soup, salsa, Bloody Mary mix, pickles, jelly and jams, and various hot sauces.

One of the hot sauces is made with the world’s hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper.

He also started beekeeping last year and sells honey.

“My dad helps me with the canning,” Maile said. “We grow all (of the) produce and package everything ourselves.”

Maile has a garden on a two-acre plot on his parents’ hobby farm. This summer, he grew 350 tomato plants and 1,400 pepper plants. It takes a lot of peppers, he said, to make a bottle of hot sauce.

Each row of plants is grown in plastic and watered with a low-pressure drip system.

“I like using the Italian varieties of tomatoes because they have very little seeds and make a great sauce,” he said. “My favorite tomato is the SuperSauce tomato. It can (grow) up to 3 pounds.”

Maile started Austin’s Acres as a 4-H project about food preservation. He had been asked by someone visiting at the Stearns County Fair if he sold any of his foods.

This gave him the idea to begin making herb jelly, a sweet and savory jelly made from herbs such as spearmint, lavender and more, and used on toast, meats and other foods. Maile began selling his jelly at farmers’ markets.

“My 4-H project turned into attending markets that sold really well, so I decided to expand,” he said.

During Maile’s first two years in business, he sold his products in Cold Spring. This year, he has been selling at the St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, where he said he has many repeat customers.

Alex’s parents are Jodi and Randy Maile. He has one brother, Alex, 17. Both boys attend Albany High School.

The hobby farm in Avon on which Austin grows his produce is the same farm where his father lived during his childhood years. Both of his parents have full-time jobs away from the hobby farm.

Maile’s family lives on 40 acres of what were part of his paternal grandparents’ dairy farm. His grandparents are now retired.

Maile’s brother does not help with the Austin’s Acres business but is active with school and a band he plays with called “Edge of the Ledge.”

Maile said he joined Future Farmers of America at school this year. He plans to continue expanding his garden and hopes to one day own his own store, along with a seasonal restaurant.

“Randy and I are very proud of Austin,” Jodi Maile said. “We try to give our kids the tools they need to grow and experience many different things. Austin has just flourished with his garden and business.”