Shareholders consider legal action against Angelic Organics Farm after sudden closure

CALEDONIA, Ill. (WIFR) - Green buds escape brown dirt off a Caledonia gravel road. Near the farm fields rests a sign announcing “Angelic Organics Association.”

On Memorial Day weekend, those who purchased a slice of Angelic Organics’ crops received news the farm would close – effective immediately. An email from “Farmer John,” who oversaw the direct farm-to-consumer relationship for decades, notified shareholders as far as Chicago.

“I didn’t pay $500 for an onion,” says Katherine Ford. The finance worker lives in downtown Chicago but became a first-time shareholder this year. However, the weekend’s announcement means the Chicagoan won’t see any produce: “I was going to get my first delivery in June, so I guess I would be a negative shareholder at this point.”

Alicia Hernandez enjoyed the fresh veggies since 2020 – even working remotely for Angelic’s customer service for a year.

“I just really liked being part of that history and it also gave a sense of security,” says Hernandez, commenting on the farm’s nearly hundred-year history. “They know what they’re doing? They’ve been around for so many years.”

Angelic is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) endeavor: “shareholders” pay between a couple hundred to thousands of dollars each year for the Stateline-grown produce. Veggies include garlic bulbs, onions, brussels sprouts, spinach, kale and more. The farm has supplied the greater Chicago area for more than three decades.

In the email, nevertheless, Farmer John detailed a career-ending stroke he suffered in March. Due to deteriorating health, and no replacement, the decision arrived to a closure.

However, those who paid for this season and beyond are left scratching their heads.

The email’s tone threw Hernandez for a loop: “‘Everything is gone. Do not come to the farm. We won’t speak to you. Do not e-mail. We won’t speak to you. Do not call...’ It feels very much like a slap in the face.”

Ford feels the shutdown appears “scammy,” stating “If you pay for something, you expect to get something back.” Angelic Organics claims this season’s shareholders can return to the farm in June or July to pick their produce.

“With no kind of apology between all of that, that’s the part where it gets a little hard to swallow,” says Hernandez.

Both shareholders confirm conversations brewing between former customers considering legal action. Nevertheless, in Farmer John’s email states a “Shareholder Agreement” acknowledges Angelic isn’t responsible for “catastrophic” events affecting crops. The farmer states his March stroke falls into this category.

“An e-mail that allows for no apology to how this impacts a shareholder,” says Hernandez. “An e-mail that comes so late, and if the stroke occurred in March, and we’re now looking at the end of May.”

The community spirit once blossoming at Angelic Organics appears as a cold shoulder for confused shareholders: “It just feels like an antithetical to that entire mission of community that was at the center of the CSA,” says Hernandez.

Others familiar with Farmer John for decades stress changes in his health and the prevalence of produce delivery services like HelloFresh as detrimental to Angelic Organics.

Alison Brown pitched into the farm’s expansion in the 1990s. She deposits absolute trust into the agricultural figure.

The purchase arose “so he could have more land to farm,” says Brown. “And so we rent that land to him, and that’s how much we believe in him: 40-39 acres”

As proceedings possibly take shape against the CSA, Hernandez wavers between frustration and disappointment. Angelic once provided a connection between consumers and food sources. Following its closure, the Caledonia fields rest as an extensive community crumbled by an email.

While the farm searches for a new owner, Farmers Rising – a neighboring non-profit, camp and education center – remains open. The separate organization doesn’t overlap in staffing or governance with Angelic.

For those wishing for a new CSA source, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers an online directory for other direct-to-consumer services.