Greg Pollock and Amber Brouillette
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| | Hometown Hero: Couple’s sunflower fields in Concord reconnects the community to farming
By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN
Monitor staff
Whether they’re running errands or socializing in the community, Greg Pollock and Amber Brouillette, are recognized as “the sunflower people” by Concord residents thanks to their Sunfox Farm, |
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| a sprawling 20-acre sunflower field on Loudon Road, that bursts into vibrant bloom during the summer months.
Situated near the busy Exit 14 of I-93 in the heart of the city, the field has become a rural oasis for Concord residents seeking respite from the city’s rush.
“We are grateful that what we’re trying to do is going in the direction that we wanted to where we’re kind of creating this community in the area that recognizes agriculture and farming and the impact that it can have,” said Brouillette, as the couple prepares for this year’s sunflower festival in August.
Pollock, who grew up in Deerfield, began his farming journey 13 years ago, working on different farms before becoming a field manager for an organic farm.
However, it was a chance encounter during his travels through Italy in 2018 that sparked his love for sunflowers.
While driving through the winding roads of Italy’s countryside, Pollock found himself surrounded by rolling hills adorned with sunflowers stretching as far as the eye could see. Though the flowers were past bloom and had withered, his imagination painted a vivid picture of their former splendor. Determined to recreate this breathtaking sight in New Hampshire, Sunfox Farm was born.
“It’s really rewarding working with the earth and producing good quality food for people that they can trust,” said Pollock. “They know where it comes from. Even more now that we have the festival. They have that relationship with the ground.”
Sunfox Farm and its Sunflower Festival not only cultivated a strong bond with the community but also sparked the beginning of Pollock and Brouillette’s blossoming romance.
After her culinary education and a stint in clinical nutrition, Brouillette ventured into farming, overseeing a small farm in the suburbs of New York City. However, feeling the pull of home, she returned to New Hampshire to be closer to her family. It was there, in 2020, that she crossed paths with Pollock while working on his farm. Now, at the sunflower festivals, she organizes a fine dining dinner among the blooms using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients.
“I was instantly drawn to him because he’s just very creative with the way that he does things,” she said, glancing at Pollock with a smile.”At the beginning, he was just like my teacher, and I kind of followed him around and then I forced him to go on a date with me.”
At the time Brouillette began working with Pollock, he recalls a period of frequent turnover among staff. However, her constant presence for a couple of weeks provided a refreshing change.
“I started teaching her more of the fieldwork and she’s just excelled at that,” Pollock said with a chuckle, reflecting on the irony of being her boss. “We were just working one on one for a lot of the time.”
Following last summer’s sunflower festival, which attracted hundreds to admire the vibrant blooms, the couple exchanged vows in their own field, surrounded by the very sunflowers that brought them together, sealing their love in a place as beautiful as their shared dreams.
As they continue building the farm up, they hope to lease another property close to Sunfox to process the sunflower seeds into the various products they sell, like oil, skincare and many more. Right now, the seeds are processed in Deerfield.
“We both feel pretty strongly about the idea of farming and bringing a community together with that which is something that seems to have been lost,” said Brouillette, reflecting on their motivation behind the sunflower farm.
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