Sol City Farm
Sol City Farm at a Glance
Farmers: Mat Santos and Andres Arce
Where they’re located: Doral
Website: SolCityFarm.com Instagram: @solcityfarm
What they raise: Chicken, eggs, beef and pork.
Where they sell: Via their website
How they started: While studying at FIU, I came across a USDA-funded program called VeSFo (Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach Program), which was geared towards transitioning military veterans into farming. I was intrigued and began interning at several organic vegetable farms. In 2016, I was finally able to lease land and begin my farming venture. I realized that South Florida lacked in humane, ethical and clean animal husbandry. I studied Regenerative Agriculture pioneers such as Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms and Will Harris of White Oaks Pastures. Joel realized that with the proper management of animals, you could actually build soil, add fertility and create a carbon sink.
Their philosophy: We believe in treating our land and animals with respect and we uphold ourselves to a high standard of ethics and quality. The work we put into this farm is an overflow of the passion that we have for clean food, a better environment, and healthier families.
What they raise: Chicken, eggs, beef and pork. We raise a breed called Florida Cracker cattle. These cattle are descendants of the first Andalusian cattle that were brought to Florida by Ponce de Leon. We also have a partnership for raw milk and cheeses.
About grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chickens: We rotationally graze our cattle using portable electric fencing and make sure they do not return to the same ground for at least 60 days, allowing the land to rest, recover and grow back even stronger. We never spray our pasture and don’t give our cattle antibiotics/hormones. Our grass-fed and finished heritage (criollo) beef has a clean beefy taste with no odors or aftertaste. Florida Cracker beef is naturally leaner than the commercial type Angus and Wagyu, but they make up for it in taste. Our chickens are truly pasture raised. Every chicken coop is mobile and on wheels. We move our chickens to the fresh pasture daily.
How to buy beef shares: We sell beef in 1/8th shares. After we process an animal, we divide all the cuts into eight separate shares. A share of our heritage breed grass-fed beef is typically about 25 lbs. of assorted cuts such as steaks, roasts and ground beef. We weigh each share individually and charge a flat $/lb for each share. We currently have a pickup stand at our farm that is accessible 24/7. When you purchase online, you can choose a pickup option and we will send you a one-time code to pick up when you’d like.
About their farm tours: We do private family farm tours in which families can hold the hens and even gather their own dozen eggs fresh from the coop to take home. We show them what a typical day of farm chores looks like and teach them where our food comes from.
