Blue Earth Bags owners Rusty and Kim Fenn hold up a variety of bags they made out of recycled materials. (Paula Roberts photo)
Nestled in deep woods in Jefferson, Kim and Rusty Fenn live off the grid in a home they built themselves out of wood from their property. They have two solar-power systems on their roof, one to generate electricity and one to heat their water.
They have all the appliances any home would want, and the solar power provides all their needs. They heat with a heat pump and a wood stove.
Kim, the creative one of the couple, had a pile of chicken grain bags, and decided to make a bag out of one. She then made a bunch for Christmas presents for friends and family. They were such a hit, that the couple decided to make them commercially.
The Fenns’ company, Blue Earth Bags, launched in March. The couple was pleasantly surprised by the popularity of their bags.
Their bags and wood carriers are made out of recycled feed, malt, and coffee bean burlap sacks.
“Everything is recyclable,” Kim said. “If we did not recycle them, they would end up in a landfill.”
Kim said that coffee roasters and breweries are happy to give the couple their bags, which the Fenns collect from as far away as Portland.
“I did not know so many people were making beer and coffee in the area,” Kim said.
The electric scissors and two commercial sewing machines used to produce the bags are powered by the sun. The bags made of recycled material are a perfect fit for the couple’s self-sufficient lifestyle.
The bags come in various sizes, depending on the size of the design on the bag. The linings of the bags are made from recycled sheets, curtains, fabric leftovers, and new material. They get some of their recycled material from Goodwill. Some bags have zippers, are stenciled or dyed, or come with outside pockets. Animal feed bags include sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens.
“Each is unique,” Kim said.
Although Kim is the anchor of the business, Rusty, who retired in November from Bath Iron Works after 43 years, is an active partner. He has put restoration work on an antique truck and Porsche on the back burner to support his wife in every facet of the business.
They held their first sale at the Makers on Main event in Freeport, which is held the first Saturday every month. They had a really good reception on the first Saturday in May and an even better one in June, Kim said. The couple also sold bags at the Camden Harbor Arts and Book Fair in mid-July.
“It just grew and grew and grew,” Kim said.
Bags are available for sale every Monday on the lawn of the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library through Labor Day. The couple also sells them at the Jefferson Market and Grocery and at the Birches Coffee Bar and Market in Wiscasset.
In August Blue Earth Bags will be available at two Coffee by Design locations on Diamond Street in Portland and at L.L. Bean in Freeport. Coffee by Design is one of the businesses that supplies the couple with bags.
The bags will also be for sale at the Maine Artisan Bread Fair in Skowhegan, and the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity.
Part of the mission of Blue Earth Bags is to support those in need by donating a percentage of sales to groups and organizations that are helping the homeless, food pantries, and animal shelters, Kim said.
“People donate the sacks to us, we make bags and sell them and then give back to the community,” Kim said. “I feel like this is very much a community effort to recycle the bags and give back.”
For more information, go to blueearthbags.com or email blueearthbags@gmail.com.
