Alpha Farm’s Burger Mix

by Louise Harmon

I was first introduced to Alpha Farm’s Alpha Burger mix during NW VEG’s Compassionate Living Festival in September 2024 when I stopped to check out their pre-packaged plant-based burger mix. The ingredients were impressive—a mixture of wholesome legumes and gluten-free grains with no fillers or additives. Other ingredients needed to be added during preparation such as chopped vegetables, but the package made 12 burgers—enough for several meals with lots of extras to freeze—so I plunked down $15 for a bag. Before I left, I asked the vendors how they came up with the recipe and was told the burgers had been a staple of the Alpha Farm community for years.

Although the mix made really good tasting burgers, the instructions were quite detailed and time-consuming, involving multiple steps and a lengthy cooking process. Still…it made really good tasting burgers, so I emailed Alpha Farm asking how I could purchase more. A short time later, I received a survey about the burgers which I completed. A little later, I received an email from Adam Reich, a member of Alpha Farm, explaining that they were in the process of revamping the mix to make it less cumbersome to prepare, with future plans to have Alpha Burger mix available at local markets.

I was curious about Alpha Farm, so I did a little research.

Alpha Farm is a Quaker-based intentional community located in Deadwood, Oregon. Founded in 1972 by Caroline Estes (who passed away in 2022), Alpha Farm embraces stewardship of the land through sustainable, organic farming practices. It strives to cultivate a simple environment, one of non-violence and respect—a safe, healthy living space where celebrations, community traditions, and spiritual growth is shared. 

I was curious about the community’s vision for their product and the process involved in bringing Alpha Burger mix to market, so I contacted Adam Reich, who agreed to provide additional information about the product.

Adam, can you tell me a little about the history of Alpha Burger? 

“Alpha Farm ran a small restaurant in Mapleton, Oregon called the AlphaBit. The cafe was known for its eclectic collection of wares, good coffee, and delicious, healthy food. One of the staple items on their menu was the “Grainburger”—it was among the first veggie burgers of its time. The AlphaBit closed in 2016, so most of the current members had only heard stories about the Grainburger until 2024, when the original recipe was discovered in the community's archives.”

What led the community to decide to market Alpha Burger mix?

“When the recipe was discovered, the group decided to recreate the burgers. Over the course of several community meals, modifications to the original recipe were made to eliminate gluten and corn. Nuts and legumes were added, the spices were adjusted, and the burgers were given an umami flavor. The burgers quickly became a community favorite! We started serving cooked Alpha Burgers at our local farmer’s market along with bags of the mix, which we packaged in our own home kitchen.

We decided to market Alpha Burger mix to create an additional revenue source for our community, which currently supports itself through a rural mail delivery contract and from handyman services in our local town. Earning income by producing and distributing a product that we believe in, which also holds historical significance for our community, provides meaningful work and hopefully additional funds to help maintain the buildings and land which we steward.”

Can you briefly discuss the process for making Alpha Burger mix available commercially? When did you start the process?

“We started thinking about making our burger mix available commercially during the summer of 2024, and began experimenting to find a recipe that can be easily packaged and made at home. The original recipe was intended to be made in large quantities at a restaurant, with large pots of different types of grains cooked separately for different amounts of time, and then added together at the end. We recognized that to make this accessible to people in stores, we would have to find a way to limit the number of items that needed to be cooked separately.”

Is the Alpha Burger mix assembled on the farm?

“The first few production runs were performed at the farm in our home kitchen. We relied on ‘cottage law’ to produce these in our kitchen, which required a “this is a homemade product” label on it, precluding it from being sold in stores. We recently produced another batch in a commercial kitchen, allowing us to start selling them through local grocers in the Eugene area.”

What obstacles have you encountered? 

“Our first market testing was performed at our local farmer’s market. Although many friends of the farm enjoyed our burgers and were happy to support us, there wasn’t much demand in our rural town for any sort of burger that could not be cooked medium rare. However, we didn’t let this discourage us. We eventually made our way to a vegan market/festival in Portland where we found our people! Everyone that tasted our burgers loved them! The excitement and affirmation that this was a product which was genuinely desired within the vegan food scene encouraged us to continue to push forward.”

Do you have a timeline when we can purchase Alpha Burger mix in stores?

“Initially, we will be focusing on small natural grocers in the Eugene and Corvallis area, and hope to have our products in stores by early spring 2025. We would love to make them available more broadly as well, and would happily offer some free bags to anyone that can help us get stocked in their local store. Currently, packages are available for purchase through our website:

https://www.eatalphaburgers.com/

Adam graciously sent me a package of the new and improved Alpha Burger mix to try.

This recipe was much easier to prepare than the first batch I made. It does take some time to cook the grain mix (about 45 minutes), during which I chopped and sautéed 2½ cups of veggies. For the vegetables, I used a combination of red onion, mushrooms, red and orange peppers, carrot, and a small handful of fresh parsley, mixed everything together, and baked the Alpha Burgers for 30 minutes. According to the package, the mix makes 8 burgers, but I made 11. Each burger was 3 inches across, and about ½ inch thick, and for me, one burger (including a bun and some vegan cheese) made a satisfying meal. From my past experience, I know they freeze well. The taste of the new mix? Really good!