Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike McCord.
Hi Mike, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m from Community Foodscapes (CoFo).
My story began as a child surrounded by forests, waterways, veggie gardens, and cooking. Constant interaction with my surrounding ecosystem and food supply led me to a degree in agriculture from UGA, then WWOOF’ing (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) in 5 different countries. Upon my return from these experiences, I was prepared build community using freshly grown, hyper-local food.
I immediately moved to Atlanta and launched my professional career at Trees Atlanta (engaging with community and leading plantings for over five years). During this time, I was fortunate enough to partake in the first city-leased “Aglanta” pilot site (the Campbellton Community Garden) and managed the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill, the largest publicly-owned food forest in the country.
Community Foodscapes (CoFo) officially started in 2015 as a weekend garden consulting side-hustle for friends & family. CoFo has doubled (2X) every year in terms of revenue and staff. In 2021, we quadrupled (4X)
Our services now include consultations, designs, installation, and the maintenance of food-productive, medicinal, native landscapes. We also offer opportunistic (invasive) plant management, hardscaping, rainwater collection, and drainage/stormwater management solutions.
Our programs include Edible Neighborhood, Anti-Ivy League, Community Garden Support, and a fruit tree nursery at Unearthing Farm & Market.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Perfection is the enemy of progress.
One of my largest challenges as a business owner was learning to let go and not micromanage. When you are running a solo operation for years, it is easy to think that no one else can do a job as well as you can. Or to worry that someone will make a mistake, say the wrong thing, ruin your brand.
On the other hand, I was working 100 hours per week, every week. My mental and physical health were beginning to strain (as were my romantic/family/friend relationships). I was making enough money to sustain myself and invest in my business and my retirement. However, time was my limiting factor. I wanted to say ‘yes’ to every project, but I could only be in one place at a time.
When I finally decided to bring in more full-time staff, my position immediately changed. I was no longer responsibly for myself but for my team. When your thinking switches from “me” to “we”, the culture of a company begins to emerge.
As our team continues to grow, so does our impact. I am amazed by all the great work our CoFo team accomplishes on a daily basis!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Community Foodscapes?
Community Foodscapes is an edible landscaping company with a social conscience, serving Atlanta (10-mile radius) by helping people from all backgrounds to grow food, restore native habitats, and become environmental stewards of their communities.
We perform a variety of services from consultations, coaching, and designs to installations of raised beds, gardens, fruit trees, drainage, and hardscapes. We also perform maintenance for our clients.
There are four main services that excite me the most!
1) Lawn Conversions: We help people remove their high-maintenance lawns and replace them with clover or wildflower meadows.
2) CoFo Nursery: We have a fruit tree and edible/medicinal plants nursery on Memorial Drive in Edgewood/Kirkwood.
3) Edible Neighborhood: We install fruit tree orchards on a neighborhood-scale to foster community and improve food security.
4) Anti-Ivy League: This donation-based program allows us to save hundreds of trees every year by removing English Ivy and other vines from the trunks of mature canopy trees.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is the feeling of “Home” I experience when reflecting on my summers with our family and cousins on the Jersey shore.
Contact Info:
- Email: cofo.info@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.communityfoodscapes.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communityfoodscapes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communityfoodscapes
