Scoop: FarmerJawn nonprofit hit with cease-and-desist
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The owner of James Beard Award-winning FarmerJawn hasn't registered her nonprofit as a charity and hasn't paid more than $6,000 in taxes and penalties, per state records obtained by Axios.
The big picture: Christa Barfield has cultivated an image as the Philly region's "people's farmer," growing a startup "farm-to-cup" tea venture into an agricultural powerhouse that provides locals with better access to fresh produce.
State of play: The Department of State is ordering Barfield to stop soliciting donations from Pennsylvania residents on behalf of the FarmerJawn and Friends Foundation Fund, the nonprofit arm of her company.
- In mid-September, she was told in a cease-and-desist letter that she couldn't ask for donations until she either registered the fund as a charity or provided state officials with proof why she should be exempt. The law protects Pennsylvanians from getting scammed by people posing as charitable organizations.
- A DOS spokesperson confirmed to Axios that Barfield hasn't registered the Friends Fund as a charity since receiving the cease-and-desist letter. Meanwhile, the Fund's website continues to solicit donations.
Between the lines: Religious organizations, hospitals, groups tied to educational institutions and others, including organizations that bring in less than $25,000 annually, can file paperwork with the DOS showing they meet the state's exemption criteria.
Separately, Barfield and her company, LifeLeaf Organic Farms, owe the state more than $6,300 in unpaid sales taxes and penalties, per a lien filed against her Germantown Avenue property in March by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.
What they're saying: Barfield didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment.
- The DOS declined to say whether it will take additional action against Barfield.
Catch up quick: Barfield runs a 123-acre organic farm in West Chester and has been working to expand her footprint. She's transforming an 18,000-square-foot dairy barn on the property into an educational center and adding a Kensington storefront that's still under construction, per her website.
- As egg prices soared across the country, Barfield gave out free eggs in New York and Pennsylvania earlier this year.
- Barfield has faced harassment while running the farm. Last summer, someone scrawled racist and antisemitic messages on FarmerJawn's barn doors. Police tell Axios the case hasn't been solved.
Zoom in: Barfield described her entrepreneurial journey — and the plight of Black farmers who came before her — in a video on her website, encouraging prospective donors to "join the movement."
- "Farming is more than a way of life," she says. "It's a way to cultivate equity, bridge health disparities and uplift communities. … We established a nonprofit, Farmer Jawn and Friends Foundation Fund, as a way for you to get involved and amplify this mission."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove an incorrect reference to a former executive at the Fund. It has also been corrected to reflect that a Department of State spokesperson couldn't confirm whether the Fund had taken any action in response to the cease-and-desist letter, and to clarify the conditions under which an organization may be exempt.