Cal-Ann Farms provides living herbs directly from the greenhouse to the grocery store in about 12 hours. That is if you’re lucky enough to live in the greater Kansas City region and shop at one of the 67-plus grocery stores that carry their fresh herbs.

Cal-Ann is a business owned and operated by Jeff and Pam Meyer. The family operation is located east of Basehor or approximately 20 miles west of the Kansas City metro area.

The Meyers’ daughter, Michelle, has become an integral cog in the operation. Fifteen employees work at the four greenhouses that include 15,000 square feet.

Basil is the primary herb in the Cal-Ann line. Each plant is inspected and pruned by hand before it is carefully placed in the sleeves with the Cal-Ann name.

Pam has been known to stop and groom a bruised leaf from one of the basil plants as she walks through the produce aisle of a local supermarket. Basil has a complex sweet, spicy aroma with notes of clove and anise. The flavor is warming, peppery and clove-like with underlying mint and anise tones.

When shoppers catch a whiff of this aroma in the produce aisle, they’re drawn like a bee to a flower. Few can resist and Cal-Ann basil winds up in another grocery cart.

“Freshness remains our best selling point,” Pam says. “During the winter time, I liken the smell of our basil to the new growth and smell of springtime right here and now.”

Some people like to take basil home to put in their homes just for the sweet smell itself, Pam says. All a person has to do is put it in a glass with water and the plant will stay fresh and smell wonderful for weeks.

Just move it a little bit every so often and the basil plant will release that aroma again, she says.

With their living herbs, the Meyer family remains dedicated to emulating what nature has perfected. The main difference is they’re growing plants every month of the year in a controlled environment.

“They’re grown hydroponically,” Jeff says.

It’s a fairly simple process, Jeff says. The nutrients the plants use when they grow in the soil are the same minerals that are dissolved in water to feed the plants on his farm.

The Meyers are vigilant about what nutrients plants take in to ensure they retain that sought-after aroma and texture.

“We use peat, an organic soil-like material characteristic of boggy, acid ground, consisting of partly decomposed vegetable matter,” Jeff explains. “The peat keeps the plant’s roots contained and moist. It still receives all its nutrients from the water.”

While hydroponic techniques have not been certified organic, Cal-Ann Farms utilizes all-natural products, free of synthetic pesticides.

“We are committed to providing our customers with the purest, high-quality herbs available. Our family eats the basil and we want our customers to know they can feel good about their families eating our quality herbs.”

— Jeff Meyer

Unlike the recent trend toward fresh, living herbs used in food today, this quest for quality is not new to Cal-Ann Farms. Growing up on a crop and livestock farm, Jeff’s family roots run deep in agriculture and a commitment to producing the best product possible.

In the 1890s, his family began raising crops, milking cows and operating a cow herd on the same land where Cal-Ann Farms is located today. Jeff worked with his parents, Calvin and Annette, while growing up on the family farm. In 1979 the business was officially named Cal- Ann Farms.

As the dairy industry grew, so did the Meyer farm until their milk cows totaled 325.

“Dairy farms were getting larger and larger,” Jeff recalls. “We took a good, hard look at our future in this industry and figured it would take an additional investment of $1.5 million just to expand and remain profitable. We chose to head in another direction.”

This was a difficult decision, especially for Jeff’s father who’d milked cows his entire life, but in 1998, the Meyers milked their last cow on the family farm. Jeff and Pam switched to beef cattle and crop farming.

In an attempt to utilize the dairy buildings, the Meyers started an aquaponics system. They began raising Tilapia and vegetables and soon expanded to a greenhouse they erected on the farm.

While Jeff and Pam were learning the art of feeding fish and growing vegetables, they decided to grow basil in an additional hydroponic system. Shortly after, they began to grow basil in a separate hydroponic system and in 2001, a produce buyer from Kansas City visited their farm.

After visiting with the Meyers and touring the greenhouses, the buyer told them he would buy all the basil they could produce.

“We were on our way,” Pam smiles. “We decided to keep the name, Cal-Ann, as a testament to its founders and the past generations of Meyers that helped make us what we are today.”

The Meyers feel blessed to follow their farming vocation. They begin each day with excitement knowing they will distribute living herbs—grown on their farm— through area markets that wholeheartedly embrace locally grown produce.

“We’d like to thank our family, friends, employees and our customers for supporting us,” Pam says. “We wouldn’t have this success without you.”

Without question, the customer is always right at Cal-Ann. They listen to every word, suggestion or question.

“When they ask, ‘can you grow this?’ If it’s something we can grow, we’ll do our best to grow it and deliver it to the store—even if it’s a small amount and a few stores,” Pam says.

Cal-Ann is committed to its customers. The Meyers remain dedicated to producing the best herbs possible. They will continue to share their love of “homegrown” farming with their urban and suburban friends in Kansas City.