Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Dalessio III.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Joseph Dalessio III was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. As an adolescent, he discovered his passion for gardening after realizing that our health is ultimately our own responsibility—starting with the food we eat. Taking matters into his own hands, he began growing food at his childhood home.
After earning a degree in Microbiology and a minor in Geology from the University of South Florida, Joe took a leap of faith and started his own farm. He managed the operation, grew fresh produce, and supplied a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program that served 75 members.
Eventually, Joe was given the opportunity to transform a two-acre lot in downtown Tampa into a productive green space. With little more than determination, grit, and a stubborn refusal to quit, Meacham Urban Farm was born. Since the fall of 2020, the farm has been cultivating a diverse array of organic vegetables—thriving under Joe’s business leadership and hands-on dedication in the soil.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
He says “What road has been smooth for anybody?”
Starting a small business is hard enough but starting a small farm with all of the special challenges that agriculture entails is another thing, especially when your livelihood is dependent on nature. Hurricanes, freezes, high labor costs, low profit margins – the journey has its struggles.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Meacham Urban Farm is an organic mixed vegetable farm in downtown Tampa. We are unique for many reasons, but we are the only productive farm in the urban core, our on-site Farm Store offers the freshest food available from our fields and other local, organic farms, and we are the accessible interface of organic local agriculture in Tampa. Our farming practices are organic and regenerative – we are nourishing the soil our plants grow in, so they can nourish our community. Our Farm Store offers local organic produce, eggs, honey, dairy, meats, fermented foods, bread and high quality pantry goods. Visitors can enjoy walking around the farm during their visit to the Farm Store or come to one of our events. We host ticketed farm-to-table dinners at the farm where guests can enjoy locally sourced meals, made from scratch and served at big farm tables under the stars. We also host field trips for school aged children (free for Hillsborough Public Schools) and for a small fee for private schools and homeschool groups. We encourage people of all ages to come and learn about agriculture, where their food comes from and how our eating habits effect not only our lives but our whole community.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
We’re not sure but we hope more and more folks seek out local organic food instead of relying on the global food system. We see a small shift of young families understanding the benefit of local organic food. We also hope more young people get into farming. We need more small scale organic farms to feed our communities, especially as the demand increases.
Pricing:
- Comparable to organic produce in large grocery stores
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Meachamfarm.com
- Instagram: meachamurbanfarm
- Other: https://meacham-urban-farm-events.square.site/
Image Credits
Nicole Kubilins and Greg Santa Anna
