Blue Heron Farm
Blue Heron Farm is a 130-acre family-run diversified organic farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts, owned by the Coli family since 1975 and continuously farmed since 1797. The farm produces USDA-certified organic maple syrup from 3,000-4,000 taps and operates four vacation rental accommodations serving individual leisure travelers seeking rural farm-stay experiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersCharlemont, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Blue Heron Farm does
Blue Heron Farm is a 130-acre family-run diversified organic farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts, situated at 1,500 feet elevation on the eastern slopes of the Berkshire Hills. The land has been continuously farmed since at least 1797 according to deed research; the Coli family — Norma and Bill, with son Jubal as Co-manager — has owned and operated the farm since 1975. The farm produces Certified Organic Grade A maple syrup (USDA certification via Baystate Organic Certifiers) from 3,000-4,000 taps using modern infrastructure including a reverse osmosis machine, LaPierre Fusion X wood-fired evaporator, vacuum pump, food-grade tubing, and a 10,000 kW photo-voltaic solar system installed in 2014. Annual syrup output ranges from 600-1,000 gallons per season. The farm also operates four fully furnished, winterized vacation rental accommodations (Log Cabin, The Cottage, The Maples, The Bungalow), supports secondary lines including high-bush blueberries, Rhode Island Red laying hens, Boer and French Alpine dairy goats, and a small herd of Norwegian Fjord horses scaled down to approximately five animals.
The farm generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) direct-to-consumer and short-term vacation rental bookings via its own website with online booking plus presence on Airbnb and VRBO, with nightly rates ranging from $50 to $175 and extended-stay rates down to $50/night for 92+ nights; (2) direct-to-consumer mail order of Certified Organic maple syrup via USPS Flat Rate Priority Mail, with payment by check or Venmo, in sizes ranging from half-pint ($8) to gallon ($60); and (3) wholesale distribution of maple syrup to regional supermarket chains — Hannaford Brothers, Big Y (across Massachusetts and into Connecticut), Price Chopper/Market 32, and South River Miso Co. Pricing is unit-based with transactional fees for rentals and a one-time purchase model for syrup. Customer segments are diversified across leisure travelers and families seeking rural retreats, health-conscious and organic food consumers, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Distribution relies on organic word-of-mouth, the farm's website, Google Maps reviews, community organizations (CISA, Franklin Land Trust), and storefronts at supermarket partners.
The farm is permanently protected from development: in 2012, 88 acres were placed under Agricultural Preservation Restriction via the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and 30 acres under Conservation Restriction via the Franklin Land Trust. Management expertise is anchored by Bill Coli's Ph.D. in Plant Science from UMass and 34-year tenure as a Pest Management Specialist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1979-2013), and Norma Coli's standing as one of the very few full-time female sugar makers in Massachusetts. The farm has no institutional ownership, no external funding rounds, no patents, and no AI/ML capabilities; its strategic posture is conservative, family-controlled, and grant-supported through Massachusetts and USDA programs, with 2023-2024 capital upgrades funded by two MDAR/USDA matching competitive grants.
Blue Heron Farm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Heron Farm
- Legal name
- Blue Heron Farm
- Website
- https://blueheronfarm.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blue Heron Farm is a 130-acre family-run diversified organic farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts, owned by the Coli family since 1975 and continuously farmed since 1797. The farm produces USDA-certified organic maple syrup from 3,000-4,000 taps and operates four vacation rental accommodations serving individual leisure travelers seeking rural farm-stay experiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Heron Farm industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Farm Stay Hospitality and Organic Maple Syrup
- NAICS
- Sheep and Goat Farming (1124), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152), Goat Farming (112420)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farmstay Rooms (Working Farms/Ranches) (THAMABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Organic/Regenerative Sheep & Goat Production (AFAEAFAI)
Keywords
Where Blue Heron Farm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlemont
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blue Heron Farm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Farm Vacation Rentals: Year-round rental income from four accommodations: Log Cabin, The Cottage, The Maples, and The Bungalow. Properties fully furnished, winterized, and secluded. Revenue is transactional based on nightly rates with a two-night minimum. Additional revenue from pet fees and extended stay bookings (32+ nights). Short-term rental tax of 11.7% applies to stays of 31 nights or fewer.
- Maple Syrup Direct Sales: Certified Organic Grade A maple syrup sold direct to consumer via mail order. Available in sizes from half-pint to gallon. Shipped via USPS Flat Rate Priority 2-3 day mail. Payment accepted via check, Venmo (@William-Coli-1). Gallons shipped as two half-gallon jugs at gallon price.
- Maple Syrup Wholesale/Distribution: Wholesale distribution of Certified Organic maple syrup through major supermarket chains including Hannaford Brothers, Big Y, and Price Chopper/Market 32 throughout Massachusetts and into Connecticut. Norma and Bill focus year-round on packaging and delivering syrup to major retail outlets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Log Cabin - Short Stay |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Log Cabin - Extended Stay |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | The Cottage - Extended Stay Only |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | The Maples - Extended Stay Only |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | The Bungalow - Extended Stay Only |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Certified Organic Maple Syrup - All Sizes |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
Blue Heron Farm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Heron Farm operates four fully furnished, year-round farm vacation rental properties (Log Cabin, The Cottage, The Maples, The Bungalow) on a 130-acre organic farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts, and produces and sells USDA Certified Organic Grade A pure maple syrup in sizes from half-pint to gallon via direct mail order and regional supermarket wholesale. The farm is also home to a small herd of Norwegian Fjord horses, dairy goats, high-bush blueberries, and laying hens that guests can experience during their stay.
Product overview
Blue Heron Farm is a diversified, 130-acre family-run organic farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts, offering four distinct vacation rental properties (Log Cabin, The Cottage, The Maples, The Bungalow) and agricultural products including Certified Organic maple syrup, high-bush blueberries, farm fresh eggs, Norwegian Fjord horses, and dairy goats. The farm provides year-round farm stay experiences where guests can participate in or observe seasonal farm activities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Certified Organic Maple Syrup USDA Certified Organic Grade A pure maple syrup produced from 3,000-4,000 taps using a wood-fired evaporator, yielding 600-1,000 gallons per season. Available in sizes from half-pint to gallon and shipped via USPS Flat Rate Priority Mail. Distributed through Hannaford, Big Y, and Price Chopper/Market 32 supermarkets.
- Farm Vacation Rentals Year-round farm-stay accommodations comprising four distinct properties (Log Cabin, The Cottage, The Maples, The Bungalow) on a 130-acre organic farm in Charlemont, MA. Fully furnished, winterized, secluded units with kitchens, linens, and modern amenities, offering access to farm activities, hiking trails, and dark-sky viewing.
- Log Cabin Vacation Rental One-bedroom, single-floor vacation rental on the farm that sleeps up to 4 persons with a full-size bed and queen-size futon. Fully furnished and winterized with gas hot air heat, equipped with refrigerator, gas stove, satellite TV with HBO, VCR, radio, gas grill, and water from a 330-foot drilled well.
- The Cottage Vacation Rental Two private bedrooms on three floors that sleeps up to 8 persons. Fully furnished and winterized with oil hot air heat, equipped with refrigerator, gas stove, satellite TV, VCR, dishwasher, telephone, 2 baths, propane fireplace, gas grill, sun porch, large deck, and water from a 100-foot drilled well. Limited internet access.
- The Maples Vacation Rental Spacious 3,100 square-foot, two-floor home with wheelchair accessibility that sleeps up to 6 persons (with potential for 2 additional children). Features a master bedroom with private bath and walk-in shower, two upstairs bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen with gas range, dining room, breakfast nook, living room with fireplace, satellite TV, full-size washer/dryer, and two-car garage.
- The Bungalow Vacation Rental Fully renovated one-bedroom vacation rental originally constructed in 1952 as a summer camp, sleeps up to 3 persons. Features a private bedroom with walk-in closet, gas fireplace, ceiling fan, combined living/cooking area with another gas fireplace, flat screen TV/DVD player, satellite TV receiver with HBO, futon couch, screened-in porch, and large deck. Water from a 100-foot drilled well.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced wood consumption from 35-40 cords to 5-6 cords annually through reverse osmosis technology
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Blue Heron Farm
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blue Heron Farm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Blue Heron Farm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ridge Hill FarmcoreWorking partnership with Ridge Hill Farm in Buckland, Massachusetts. Partners Ru Oarcea, Jasmine Atsalis-Gogel and Daniel Waters are young farmers with small commercial logging business and extensive maple sugar making experience. They brought advanced expertise that enabled major renewal of Blue Heron Farm's sugaring tubing system, dramatically increasing syrup yield even with fewer taps. Blue Heron Farm has received competitive grants from MDAR and USDA that, combined with Ridge Hill's expertise, enabled infrastructure upgrades including new Reverse Osmosis machine, vacuum pump, and LaPierre Fusion X evaporator.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Blue Heron Farm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vrbo: Vrbo (HomeAway) is another broad vacation rental platform on which Blue Heron is listed; provides overlapping demand but competes for guest attention with every other US short-term rental.
- Airbnb: Airbnb is the dominant vacation rental platform where Blue Heron Farm is also listed; not a farm-only platform but the broad incumbent against which any farmstay's distribution and pricing must compete.
- Maple Grove Farms of Vermont: Maple Grove Farms is the largest US maple syrup brand, widely distributed in supermarkets; represents the broad incumbent against which small organic producers like Blue Heron differentiate on provenance, scale, and craft positioning.
Direct peers
- Hipcamp: Hipcamp is a marketplace for farm stays, ranches, and unique outdoor lodging — directly comparable to Blue Heron Farm's farmstay vacation rental offering, including similar pricing, guest segments seeking nature-based experiences, and rural working-farm hosts.
- Harvest Hosts: Harvest Hosts connects travelers with farm, ranch, and vineyard overnight stays; comparable to Blue Heron's farm vacation rental model targeting leisure travelers seeking rural, authentic experiences in the US.
- Shelburne Farms: Shelburne Farms is a 1,400-acre Vermont nonprofit working farm and inn offering farm-based lodging, education, and agritourism — comparable to Blue Heron's combined farmstay lodging, agricultural production, and educational farm experience in the New England region.
- Butternut Mountain Farm: Butternut Mountain Farm is one of the largest organic and conventional maple syrup producers in the US, supplying supermarkets and DTC channels; directly comparable as a wholesale organic maple syrup competitor for Blue Heron's Hannaford/Big Y/Price Chopper shelf space.
- Highland Sugarworks: Highland Sugarworks is a Vermont maple syrup producer known for small-batch, premium, and craft-positioned syrup with national distribution; comparable to Blue Heron on the certified-organic, premium-tier maple syrup positioning.
- Coombs Family Farms: Coombs Family Farms is a leading branded organic maple syrup producer with national grocery distribution; comparable in organic certification, wholesale channel strategy, and DTC direct-to-consumer positioning.
Regional players
- Stonewall Farm: Stonewall Farm is a working organic farm in Keene, NH with farmstay-style programming, sugarhouse, and educational programs; a New England regional peer with similar diversified-organic, hospitality-plus-agriculture model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blue Heron Farm social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Heron Farm compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Blue Heron Farm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Heron Farm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Blue Heron Farm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Heron Farm M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Heron Farm
What does Blue Heron Farm do?
Blue Heron Farm operates four fully furnished, year-round farm vacation rental properties (Log Cabin, The Cottage, The Maples, The Bungalow) on a 130-acre organic farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts, and produces and sells USDA Certified Organic Grade A pure maple syrup in sizes from half-pint to gallon via direct mail order and regional supermarket wholesale. The farm is also home to a small herd of Norwegian Fjord horses, dairy goats, high-bush blueberries, and laying hens that guests can experience during their stay.
Is Blue Heron Farm a public or private company?
Blue Heron Farm is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Blue Heron Farm founded?
Blue Heron Farm was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blue Heron Farm based?
Blue Heron Farm is headquartered in Charlemont, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blue Heron Farm make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Farm Vacation Rentals are the primary driver. The others are maple Syrup Direct Sales and maple Syrup Wholesale/Distribution.
Who are Blue Heron Farm's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Vrbo, Airbnb and Maple Grove Farms of Vermont. Direct peers are Hipcamp, Harvest Hosts, Shelburne Farms, Butternut Mountain Farm, Highland Sugarworks and Coombs Family Farms. Stonewall Farm is listed as a regional player.
Does Blue Heron Farm have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Heron Farm.
What industry is Blue Heron Farm in?
Blue Heron Farm's product category is Farm Stay Hospitality and Organic Maple Syrup. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMABAG, Farmstay Rooms (Working Farms/Ranches), with a secondary code of AFAEAFAI, Organic/Regenerative Sheep & Goat Production. Its NAICS code is 1124 and its SIC code is 7000.