The Farm Collaborative launches new third space in Aspen

After a decade of planning and building, The Farm Collaborative is opening the doors to a new Regenerative Agriculture Learning Center alongside the official launch of the Farm Co Market, offering a unique third space for the Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley communities.

There will be a grand opening noon to 4 p.m. on June 14 at 200 Agricultural Way with farm tours, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, live music from Stagecoach Rush and free food catered by the local Farmer & Chef. Attendance is free, but RSVPs are required and can be made at secure.qgiv.com/for/thefarmcollaborativegrandopeningjune14/event/grandopening2026.

“We’ve been dreaming of it for a decade,” said Liz Wing, outreach coordinator for The Farm Collaborative. “The overall goal for it is to be a third space for the community. It’s a hub where people can spend as much time here as they want, feed animals and learn and fall in love with their backyard.”

According to Wing, the new building allows visitors to get more comfortable than they could previously, with restrooms and running water, while they connect with others, enjoy coffee, shop at the new Farm Co Market and learn more about regenerative agriculture. Visitors will even be able to see a beaver dam on the property and deepen their appreciation for the keystone species and the riparian zones they transform.

“It’s hopeful,” she said. “It’s a place where people learn that it’s not all doom and have a moment of joy and awe.”

Wing said she’s experienced firsthand how regenerative agriculture can rewire the brain, subverting expectations that it needs to be neat and tidy and allowing room for diversity and life. There are lessons here, she said, that can inform community behavior even off the farm.

“All the living things on the farm are collaborating,” she said. “Everything is working together, and the humans can be that way, too.”

While visitors to The Farm Collaborative are not required to educate themselves on the agricultural practices, she said there will be people around for those who do want to learn more and talk about The Farm Collaborative’s processes.

“Identifying a plant opens up your world in a way,” Wing said. “You’re just more informed, and it can feel comforting. That’s the impact it has on me.”

She noted that the space isn’t all about farming — it’s about uniting community and empowering individuals to feel comforted and connected.

“We just want there to be a different space for people to feel like they can just be themselves,” she said. “It’s an empowering place for all ages.”

While the Farm Co Market will be “officially” opening June 14, it’s already operational and welcoming everyone throughout the valley. Not only does this space support local farmers, but it supports local community members who might not know how to start eating healthier.

“People say, ‘I want to eat well, but what does that mean?’ We’ve done that work for you,” Wing said. “We want to be a resource for people to come and eat food that has already been chosen thoughtfully and carefully.”

The market’s current hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, but beginning June 1, Farm Co Market will begin its summer hours of 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“My philosophy is if you learn to love your backyard, you take care of the world,” she said. “If you start small and have pride in your community, then you’re going to make choices to better every aspect that you can in the environment.”