Alyosha was born on a 2-acre farm in eastern Moldova (formerly USSR). He grew up on the banks of the Nistru River which provided for his family's table. His childhood was spent raising goats and rabbits and working with his family cultivating their land. Farming was his way of life until moving to the US at age 19 to attend an English program.
He worked in Chicago's restaurant industry for 10 years in various roles in both the front and back of house where he developed an appreciation for fresh, local ingredients. In 2014, Alyosha began nurturing a back alley turned city farm in conjunction with Arbor Restaurant, honing his skills in small scale intensive farming and fueling the dream of one day farming his own land.
When his hands aren't in the soil, you'll find Alyosha with a drill hanging from his tool belt and spare irrigation parts in his pocket. You can also find him manning the farmer's market tables, so come say hello!
_websize-001.jpg)
We are the Bolocan family. After meeting in 2006 while attending college in downtown Chicago, a very long way from the small towns where we had grown up, we quickly fell in love. After marrying, we traveled to Moldova to spend time with Alyosha's family in his childhood village. It was there, on the family's land, that Sarah discovered a passion for organic farming and Alyosha’s passion reignited.
We had caught a vision for an organic family farm where we could raise our growing family, but 13 years passed before we were ready to make the leap to becoming full-time farmers. After a long search, we were blessed with the opportunity to manage a 15-acre parcel where we now live and Four Rivers Farm was born.
We have a son and two daughters who have shared this dream with us every step of the way, making sure to pick the first of every crop to pop in their mouths...it's called quality control.
Sarah was born and raised in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California where she spent every spare minute outdoors, especially at her beloved Yuba River.
Her passion for organic farming was ignited after working for a season on Alyosha's family farm in Moldova. Upon returning to Chicago, she farmed every inch of city soil she could get her hands on. Growing plants and children occupied the next decade and a longing for food sovereignty along with sustainable food systems became a driving force. Seedlings were started each spring in the sunroom and garden plots were cultivated alongside three kids eating fistfuls of dirt. The vison for a someday family farm was beginning to take shape.
You will find Sarah writing crop plans, tending to her plant babies in the propagation house and inventing games to entertain their 5 year old during transplanting and harvest.
OUR FARM'S NAME
Our farm's name tells our story. Sarah grew up in Northern California on a mountain river and Alyosha grew up in Moldova on a the banks of a river as well. This was a profound connection when we met and we have since come to understand our very lives as great rivers - sometimes rushing forward, sometimes slowing, almost stagnant, waiting patiently for the rain to move us forward, sometimes taking an unexpected turn, but always flowing from the source and headed to where we belong. So, the "Four Rivers" in our farm's name represents the two of us and the two rivers of our childhood which brought us together and taught us to trust where we are and where we will flow.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Four Rivers Farms strives to engage with the land in a relationship in which we support the land and the land, in turn, supports us and those who labor alongside us. We believe growing food sustainably and organically and sharing it with our community reconnects us to the Earth and to each other. We hope to play a part in creating a more equitable food system, where locally grown food is available to all by increasing access to nutritious, organic food in our community.