When Geoff Kleis first set foot in Vermont, it was love at first sight. He had grown up on an dairy farm in Baltimore County, so farming was already part of his DNA, but it was not until he moved to Vermont in 2002 that he found the perfect place to dig in. Over the years, he worked landscaping jobs, tended grapevine nurseries in winter, and learned the ropes on other vegetable farms before striking out on his own.
What began with a rocky acre, an old tractor, and a handful of crops has grown into Familia Farm, 17 acres along the Mettawee River where Geoff tends peppers, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and more with skill, patience, and deep care. He thrives in the Vermont farming community, where bartering with neighbors, teaming up on projects, and supporting local food initiatives are part of the daily rhythm.
Unlike many Vermont farms, Familia Farm focuses almost entirely on custom growing. Instead of setting up at a weekly farmers market, Geoff grows crops ordered in advance by food producers like Butterfly Bakery of Vermont. We have been buying peppers from Geoff nearly since the start of our own pepper-buying journey. When we first put out a call on the Vermont Veg and Berry listserv looking for growers, Geoff answered with his secret-variety jalapeños - and we have been hooked ever since.
Familia’s red jalapeños are unmistakable: heavily corked, with a rich, natural sweetness that makes them nearly snackable. We feature Familia's jalapeno peppers in our recent microbatch Familia Jalapeño Single Varietal Hot Sauce, a simple and nuanced, single estate hot sauce that gets nommed down far too quickly. You will also find Geoff’s peppers in a wide variety of our hot sauces and mustards, bringing the flavor of Familia Farm into kitchen tables around the world.
