Meet the winners of the Farmer Business Contest

1st Place: Danndee Flowers — Aledo

Believe it or not, Danndee Flowers didn’t start out as a flower business.

What began as a way to grow sunflowers to attract doves eventually turned into a mother-daughter adventure and then into a thriving farm business.

In 2021, fifth-generation farmer and family-farm operator Kate Danner and her mother, Carol, began growing flowers and lavender on their family farm just outside Aledo. Carol is a retired dietitian, former food science professor and Master Gardener, while her daughter manages the family’s larger corn and soybean operation.

They started small, inviting people to the farm to pick flowers, enjoy the farm and experience a little piece of rural life.

Then came the question that has continued to shape the business:

“What could we do with what we’re growing?”

The answer has been a lot.

Danndee Flowers has grown from a small retail store with about 10 products to more than 100 products, along with floral work, farmers markets, retail partnerships and farm experiences.

One of the best examples of their farm-to-product story sits right in the store: a couple of mason jars filled with soybeans.

Customers constantly ask, “What’s in that jar?”

The answer is soybeans that are grown right there on the family farm.

Those soybeans also create an unexpected connection to another Danndee product: the farm produces more than 600 soy wax candles a year, using soy wax from the same processor where the family sells its soybeans.

Now, the family has taken another big step by renovating part of a historic farm building into a licensed commercial kitchen and production space, with hopes of eventually making it a shared-use kitchen for other small farmers in Mercer County.

The building itself is part of the family story. Her great-great-grandfather built the barn in the early 1900s. More than 100 years later, it’s still part of the family’s agricultural operation, just in a very different way.

And then there’s beef tallow.

Another example of the family looking at what’s available locally and asking, What can we make with it? Danndee purchases beef tallow from a local locker and turns it into whipped skincare products with essential oils.

From sunflower fields to flowers, soybeans to candles and a century-old barn to a new commercial kitchen, Danndee Flowers has continued to find new ways to grow the family farm.

2nd Place: Eschmann Bread Basket — Monroe County

For Stephanie Eschmann, Eschmann Bread Basket started as a side hustle to earn a little extra “fun money” for her and her 9-year-old son.

It has become much more.

A single mom with a full-time career in management, Stephanie comes from a multigenerational farming family that raises grain and operates a trucking business. Today, she runs a home-based bakery specializing in fresh-baked breads and traditional German-inspired treats like coffee cakes, stollens and strudels.

You can find her at local farmers markets, pop-ups and community events where one of her favorite things is hearing a customer say, “This reminds me of what my grandma used to make.”

For Stephanie, the business is about more than baking. It’s about preserving traditions, connecting with her community and showing her son what can happen when you work hard and turn an idea into something of your own.

3rd Place: Plant Some Kindness — Mattoon

Jason and Rachel Duhamell started Plant Some Kindness in 2022 after realizing specialty and rare peppers were difficult to find in Central Illinois. What began with 60 plants has grown to nearly 500 pepper plants in 2026.

Today, their urban farm produces fresh peppers, seeds and hot sauces made entirely from peppers they grow themselves. They’ve even shipped peppers or seeds to all 50 states from Mattoon.

Congratulations to all three winners

These businesses are a great reminder that the impact of Illinois agriculture goes far beyond the field. Farmers are entrepreneurs, business owners, employers and innovators creating economic value and finding new opportunities to grow their farms and serve their communities.