King County Executive Dow Constantine has chosen The Grange in Duvall and Miller’s in Carnation as two winners of the 2024 King County Executive’s Small Business Awards.

Constantine announced the winners at an awards event Oct. 7. This year’s small business of the year categories included rural, exporting, workforce development, minority-owned, woman-owned, creative economy, green/sustainable and general small business. Each category had three finalists, but The Grange and Miller’s won their categories of green/sustainable small business and rural small business, respectively.

“This event really recognizes the courage and resiliency of our small businesses and, really, desiring to be an entrepreneur,” said Sandy Hanks, manager of business development for King County.

Businesses can either nominate themselves for the awards or be nominated by fellow businesses or organizations. Nominees must be located in King County, have been in business for at least three years and have 50 employees or less. This year, King County received roughly 380 nominations.

“We call on our cities and our chambers and business associations to look around in their communities and identify small businesses who are doing well or thriving and adding to the vibrancy of their towns and to nominate them for recognition,” Hanks said.

The Grange, Duvall: Green/Sustainable Small Business of the Year

Co-owner Sarah Cassidy nominated her farm-to-table restaurant, The Grange, for the green/sustainable category after receiving an email about the awards.

“I was like, ‘Green business — we got this,’” she said.

The green/sustainable award recognizes “excellence in the creation and implementation of sustainable business practices,” according to King County. Cassidy and her husband, Luke Woodward, have been operating the restaurant for six years while also operating Hearth Farm, which supplies most of the restaurant’s produce and pork.

At The Grange, local produce makes it way into everything, from pizza to elegant entrees to cocktails.

“It’s always been the plan to keep organic food on the menu in winter, spring, summer and fall,” she said. “We feel really strongly about keeping agricultural land vibrant and productive and keeping the surrounding community eating from that rich soil.”

In the “chicken or the egg” scenario, Hearth Farm came first. Owning The Grange, Cassidy said, was a way to make use of the farm’s product, and she and Woodward are farmers at heart. In this way, The Grange stands out from its local counterparts.

“We kind of feel like The Grange is the working man’s farm-to-table,” she said.

This work is Cassidy and Woodward’s passion and mission, but Cassidy admitted running both businesses has been no small feat, and the award is appreciated.

“It’s really nice to get the recognition for being a farm-to-table with a farm attached to our table,” she said.

See full article at Snoqualmie Valley Record