About Our Farm
Buster & Bella's Specialty Co. was founded in 2020 in the beautiful foothills of Vermont's Green Mountains, in a small town called Londonderry, Vermont. It began as a dream over a decade ago in 2011, when Aden Mott and Jon Restivo set about realizing their vision of creating delicious foods using simple, high-quality ingredients - lovingly produced on their farm.
Back then, Aden and Jon were just starting out on a small farm in Foster, Rhode Island. They named their home Legend's Creek Farm after their first Australian Shepherd, Legend, and began raising dairy goats, practicing making cheese and all sorts of delightful foods. They quickly realized that the home they had chosen could never receive regulatory approval to produce the foods they wanted, so they relocated to a larger, more suitable property in Foster, Rhode Island in 2014.
As they worked toward receiving approval from the state to start making food, they began making Goat Milk Soap and other personal care products under the Legend's Creek brand name. Their commitment to using only the best ingredients to make simple, high-quality products proved to be extremely successful. They continued working on trying to find a way to bring that same level of dedication and transparency to producing foods, while Legend's Creek grew a world-wide base of loyal customers that shared their priorities.
They faced a few hurdles along the way, mostly related to Rhode Island's anti-business regulations, and after years of fighting the State in legal battles were ultimately forced to start looking for alternative paths to realize their dream. In 2020, a larger company based out of Idaho offered to acquire the Legend's Creek brand, and Jon and Aden began looking for a new home in a different state.
After a lot of searching they finally found a perfect home in Londonderry, Vermont. Their new home was built in the early 1800's, on an over 210-acre piece of land. Originally used for sheep, the land had since become overgrown. They quickly set about restoring the property's historic barns and pastures, following old stone walls through the woods to reveal a stunning landscape, perfectly suited for the happy, bouncing goats they had been raising for years.
They decided that it was only appropriate to name their new company after their two other Australian Shepherds: Buster and Bella. For the rest of 2020 and most of 2021 they set about rebuilding everything they had left behind, more motivated than ever to realize their dream. In a matter of months the State of Vermont granted all of the approvals they needed to start making food, and Aden and Jon set about perfecting their recipes for Goat Milk Fudge while dreaming about the amazing products they can't wait to share over the months and years to come.
Aden Mott
Aden is a true Renaissance Man - he can often be found buzzing around the farm faster than one of their bees. Aden runs the day-to-day operations at the farm, having gone to school for agriculture, while also managing Buster and Bella's Specialty Co. His passions include restoring their old home, being outdoors, music, nature and the environment, tending to the farm's many plants and animals, and endlessly tinkering on recipes in pursuit of perfection. A typical day might include crossing off lists of things that need to get done (and then adding more than he crosses off), filling the birdfeeders, harvesting some vegetables, trimming goat hooves and repairing old plumbing before making some fudge and fulfilling orders. You can follow Aden's beautiful farm photos on his Instagram.
Jon Restivo
Jon was born with a sweet tooth. Some of his earliest memories include sneaking into his grandmother's pantry to steal chocolate chips and licking the bowl of cake batter in her kitchen. Today he is an attorney, and Managing Partner at the law firm DarrowEverett, focusing on commercial real estate development for clients nationwide. When he isn't practicing law he loves skiing, hiking, cooking and working around the farm, rediscovering old logging trails around the property and appreciating the many animals that call their farm home. Even as he and Aden work to perfect recipes for all of the confectionaries they plan to offer, he can still be found sneaking chocolate chips in the pantry.
Bella
Bella is older than Buster by about a year. She is incredibly intelligent, protective, affectionate and loyal. She loves animals even more than Aden and Jon, always eager to introduce herself to new friends. Since moving to Vermont, she loves watching the birds and chipmunks scurrying around the bird feeders picking up seed. In 2019 she was diagnosed with canine lymphoma, and she has been in remission since Fall, 2019, making every day with her feel extra special. At the end of the day, her favorite activity is sitting on Aden's lap, her head tucked under his chin for a hug.
Buster
Buster came into this world wiggling in 2009 and hasn't stopped since. He can be shy at first around new people, but will quickly warm up to you with the toss of a stick or ball. An excellent speller, he can often be found listening intently to conversations for his favorite things to be mentioned: going for a ride in the woods on the UTV, swimming in his swimming hole, tasty treats called "Wet Noses", lettuce and playing with his frisbee.
Legend
It all began with Legend! We named our first farm after him and called it Legend's Creek. He was incredibly friendly and affectionate, and immediately loved every single person or animal he met. We formed an entire brand around his name because we loved him so much! Legend left us unexpectedly in 2016 and not a day has gone by that we don't think of all the joy he brought us. His name will live on forever with the Legend's Creek brand.