Thoughts on Rebranding my Farm: Axe & Root Homestead is Renamed

This isn’t the typical post I write about farm how-tos or permaculture practices. Rather, this is a more personal post on the growing pains of starting in one place, and then having shaped my goals into something very specific. And to be honest, writing helps me work out challenges that have been circulating in my brain.

You see, I started my farm, Axe & Root Homestead, in 2013 or 2014 on a small .75-acre property. The intention was not to make a career of farming or homesteading—rather I was pivoting from my full time career as a graphic and website designer, working for a design business I’d built from the ground up and had run successfully for ten years. After having my first child, that career no longer fit. I suffered from postpartum depression and realized I was having a major identity shift—I no longer wanted to work the self-employed job I’d hustled for so long to create. Instead I wanted to be outside, grow my own food, feed my new child fresh, chemical-free food, and so on. I wanted to feed my family. My husband was so supportive and we decided I’d close my doors. I learned to grow food vertically to take maximum advantage of our small space, studied edible landscaping, we bought ducks for eggs, I took a beekeeping class, and I started making homemade bread and soap. I wanted to share everything I was learning and creating online so I started an Instagram account. Axe & Root Homestead was born… an impromptu name that encapsulated nothing more than my axe-swinging approach to getting this little homestead going, and my husband’s more rooted, analytic approach to everything in life.

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Axe & Root Homestead grew quickly online all while I moved properties from my .75-acre plot to a 6-acre historic farm. At the new site I dove headfirst in sustainable practices. I’m a very eco-conscious person (my graphic design business was a green design firm and my shelves are lined with environmentally conscious living books and guides) and I started calling my way of farming “holistic homesteading,” where all plants and animals worked together and complimented one another, just like companion plants. I was farming in support of nature, and I was creating a little ecosystem. I then found out through learning that this ideology had a name—permaculture. I kept learning, kept building, and became certified in permaculture through Cornell University. I wrote and published The Little Homesteader series, The Sustainable Homestead, and co-self-published a seasonal eating cookbook called The Harvest Table. My Instagram feed grew to over 145K followers and my brand was gaining traction. But it just didn’t fit.

The name Axe & Root Homestead does not envelop anything really… it implies the simple act of homesteading. It could belong to anyone, anywhere. And it sounds like I chop trees and plant carrots or potatoes. :) I’ve come to find that the word “homestead” is offensive to many folks based on the historic Homestead Act (though what isn’t offensive these days?). The new name moves further even from the word “farm” as the public's perception of the association with extremist right-wing, anti-vaxing, “the government controls the weather” mentality is rampant of late. I’m not in alignment with any of those views. Rather, what I do is grow food for a family of four while supporting and inviting nature, restoring depleted soil, bringing in functional animals and installing food forests. My initiative is about environmental stewardship and reaping the literal harvest of those practices. Our native bird counts are increasing as we’re seeing new species visit our farm more and more often. Our soils are becoming rich hummus and our perennial food forests are feeding us while contributing to the fungi within the soil and giving it stability.
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It was my job to create brand identities for companies starting from scratch or shifting their image. And here I am, struggling to balance a name that feels well outgrown. It is time for a rebrand to be sure, but that said, there’s also a lot to be said for brand equity. Especially when I’ve built a following, the name is on the cover of one of my books, and it would seem more folks locally are catching on to what I’m doing here. I’ve wrestled with the “should I?”, “could I?” questions for a long time and what I’ve come to decide is that a new name is needed, especially since I believe we’ll continue to gain visibility as I hope to start offering classes here in 2026.
The new image doesn’t cater to farmers and homesteaders as I think what I’m doing here goes far beyond those confines. I’m creating an ecosystem that provides food for my family, while in turn provides sanctuary for nature.

So with all that said, we are now The Arcadia Project. If you're unfamiliar, the word "arcadia" describes a utopian or Eden-like place synonymous with nature. This is a much better fit for the work I do.