By By Jane Kaufman,Stephanie Zollshan — The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

LANESBOROUGH — It’s taken four years, but the owners of Second Drop Farm are about to open a key part of their initial business plan: a cafe.

Patrick Elliott and Samantha Phillips hoped to be the first to open a grocery and café in Lanesborough. Their model — a pick-your-own farm with lodging on site and a grocery and café — is coming to fruition.

The café will open Oct. 1, after passing a health inspection last week.

Elliott bought the 17-acre farm on Route 7 for $599,000 in 2020. With family members, he took a $480,000 mortgage with Adams Community Bank as well as a $20,000 mortgage, which they paid off in 2022.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing at first with the COVID shutdown taking effect right around the time of their closing.

“When we bought the farm, we had capital saved up that we were going to be using to invest into the business,” Elliott said. “But with the entire government shut down — local, state and federal — we had to use most of that just to essentially pay bills.”

In addition, as new business owners, Elliott and Phillips weren’t eligible for any federal grants that were made available to business owners during the pandemic.

Their first priority was restoring the farm. The couple transformed the 1762 farmhouse on site into an Airbnb. They also planted — strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, tulips, lavender, zinnias, dahlias, strawflowers, sunflowers, garlic and asparagus.

They also have 200 Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock chickens, which lay eggs that they sell in their store.

Phillips said their farm hasn’t just become a destination for those on their way to the top of Mount Greylock — the entrance to Rockwell Road is across Route 7 — but to those who want photos for special occasions, such as weddings.

Phillips said she often works with photographers.

While Phillips and Elliott hope to provide full breakfast and lunch at the café, their immediate goal is to open with Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. coffee and locally baked pastries.

Prior to buying the farm, Elliott and Phillips scouted properties in the Berkshires for about two years. He is from Cape Cod, with farming in his family. She is from Florida with a background in hospitality.

“We wanted a farm that had been farmed previously and we wanted it accessible to the public,” Elliott said. “Traffic we get is really unmatched. Sam always jokes that our saying is, the last stop before the top, because it truly is.”

Elliott and Phillips also partner with other local farmers at their store, stocking products such as maple syrup, honey, meats and seasonal produce.

“We just source as close to the farm as we can get,” Elliott said. “It just took some time, but we did it, so we’re here and we’re happy.”

While Phillips and Elliott don’t produce honey, they host hives on their property.

“We have an experience where, in the summer, people can come get a coffee and then go pick fresh lavender,” Phillips said. “It’s kind of like a European type vibe.”

“As far as living in the Berkshires, we couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” Phillips said. “We love the seasons.”

What’s the goal?

“We would like to have a bigger farm store and be up there in the rankings with Guido’s,” Phillips said, evoking the popular Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.