For over three decades, Ed and Sue Clerico have been the caretakers of a Somerset County treasure: Carriage Farm. Dating back to the 18th century, the historic dairy farm and Dutch-style structures on 20 acres in Hillsborough have been in Ed’s family for generations. When the property came up for auction in 1986, Ed and Sue, who have backgrounds in bio-resource engineering and land use planning, jumped at the opportunity and began a reinvention that made the farm a model for sustainability and conservation.
Their initiatives have created a unique business environment: They restored the historic Dutch Barn, which is now the home of Flounder Brewing; dismantled and repurposed the wood from the 150-year-old Granary Barn and erected a similar structure in its place that now houses Bellemara Distillery; and renovated a farmhouse that is the cornerstone for a 20,000-square-foot office building.
An antique carriage the couple found in one of the barns on the property is the farm’s namesake and was refurbished by Amish craftsmen.
In 2007, Carriage Farm was awarded the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for a new office addition, making it the first commercial office building in Somerset County to earn this distinction. LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance, green buildings. Today, that building, which maintains the Colonial-style architecture of the original farmhouse, is home to an array of tenants that range from technical and financial services to health and wellness and food innovation.
“The LEED certification was a stretch for us, but it has paid off in the long run. By lowering our energy costs, we have saved a significant amount of money and now with the pandemic, the high indoor air quality makes our tenants comfortable knowing that they are in a healthy work environment,” Sue says.
The Clericos first purchased the farm to serve as the headquarters for Applied Wastewater Technology, a water resource business that Ed founded in 1984 and together with Sue saw the potential it offered for innovation and the integration of agriculture with current commercial property development. Ed fondly recalls working with Professor Mark Singly to pilot an on-farm composter developed by Rutgers and New Holland, a farm equipment company. “We composted everything from cow manure to food waste and used it to nurture our soil,” Ed says.
Achieving a high level of energy efficiency was critical in the office building’s design. By using green building principles, the Clericos were able to conserve natural resources, reduce energy costs and provide a healthy working environment for tenants. Due to their efforts, the property uses 51 percent less energy and 20 percent less water. During construction, they diverted 140 tons of waste from landfills.
The visual integrity of the farmstead was equally important. “We wanted to keep the ambience of the farm intact as much as possible, so when you look from the lane, you see the old farmstead, not the new buildings,” Sue says.
In addition, the Clericos incorporated sustainable design elements and preserved open space: Close to 75 percent of the land is open and incorporates natural farming practices. The landscape design uses plants native to New Jersey and drought-tolerant species that do not require irrigation. “This alone saves over 25,000 gallons of water per year,” Ed says. “We built a rain garden instead of putting in a drainage basin to improve the quality of stormwater run-off and provide habitat for wildlife.”
They placed emphasis on indoor air quality for the health of the buildings’ occupants, which included using non-toxic materials in construction, using hospital-grade MERV-13 filters and installing windows that tenants can open for fresh air.
And much to the delight of the building’s occupants, free-roaming goats naturally maintain the lawn. “Our tenants enjoy the farm environment and adore the goats. They bring them treats and go out to pet them at lunchtime,” Sue says. “Families often stop by as well.”
The opening of Flounder Brewing and Bellemara Distillery has put Carriage Farm on the map as a Central New Jersey destination, allowing people to enjoy the ambiance that the Clericos have created. On the horizon, they are working with Tom Molnar, a professor in the Plant Biology Department at Rutgers and a hazelnut expert, on starting the first commercial hazelnut orchard in New Jersey.
The Clericos say stewardship of the land—even on a residential scale—is important. “Once people have a better understanding of its benefits, it'll become more widespread,” Ed says. “There are many easy lifestyle changes that people can make to help the environment: compost; take advantage of financial incentives to add solar panels and low-flow water fixtures; separate recycling from garbage; and plant vegetation that will support bees and bats, both of which are struggling now. Stewardship makes you feel good because you're in a healthier environment and because you’re helping improve the world.”
Discover more about how Carriage Farm is changing Somerset County at carriagefarm.com.