40 Influential Leaders - Tim Wennrich

Tim Wennrich
Co-Owner of Meadowstone Farm

A teacher by trade, Tim Wennrich decided to farm full time in 2004. He and his wife, Jess Griffiths, now run Meadowstone Farm in Bethlehem, which grew from less than an acre to 10 acres of vegetables and 40 acres of pastures. It sells goat cheese,  eggs, vegetables, and pork through his busy farmstand, a community supported agriculture program and the Littleton Food Coop. During the busy summer season, Meadowstone Farm employs up to 13 people and employs five year-round.

He integrates farming with his teaching roots, educating students on the science of farming. He also advocates for a stronger local food ecosystem in the North Country to decision makers across the state, making him a sought-after guest speaker. In November, he was named the 2023 Business Leader of the Year by the Littleton Chamber of Commerce.

The couple (Griffiths is a NH native, Wennrich is from New York) moved to NH with their three children in 1997 to teach at the White Mountain School in Bethlehem. Eventually, Wennrich decided to turn to farming fulltime, while Griffiths co-founded the Woodland Community School. Wennrich quickly immersed himself into the local agricultural scene, becoming involved with the Littleton Food Coop and overseeing the Littleton Farmers Market.

Wennrich is passionate about growing NH’s food ecosystem, as it is an economic driver for communities. “We are literally growing New Hampshire products. It does not get more local than local food,” he says. He serves on the steering committee for North Country Food and Agricultural Council, which focuses on making the food system in Northern NH more resilient and helps address issues of food insecurity and food access. “We look at food systems from all different angles,” he says. “We are looking for ways to get some organization and structure, and institutionalize this council with some funding.” He says local farmers and organizations are working with the NH Food Bank to increase the amount of fresh local vegetables that families in need can access.

“Having a resilient food systems not only in the North Country and New Hampshire but in the Northeast will become increasingly important. I talk about it as a local driver for the economy. Littleton Food Coop last year bought $3.5 million worth of local products. That is money in the local economy for products grown locally,” Wennrich says.