Founding Farmers Moves HQ to District Heights, Maryland

Founding Farmers, the farmer-owned restaurant group known across the Mid-Atlantic for its Pennsylvania Avenue flagship, has officially moved its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to a 17,000-square-foot facility in District Heights, Maryland. Governor Wes Moore announced the relocation, which the state says is expected to create more than 90 full-time positions by the end of 2027. The move centralizes portions of Founding Farmers' production and administrative operations under one roof in Prince George's County, according to WMAR-2 News, whose reporting on the deal forms the backbone of this story. The Prince George's County facility now produces food and beverages for the company's restaurants, catering business and events division, and includes house-roasted coffee, fresh-baked pastries, handcrafted chocolates, holiday offerings and other scratch-made products. It also houses a customer contact center and culinary classes, and is expected to support future plans for a direct-to-consumer online marketplace. Founding Farmers purchased the property at 8100 Cryden Way, although reports differ on whether the purchase occurred in 2023 or 2024. Public real estate records show the company paid $3.4 million for the industrial building in December 2024 and committed another $4.6 million to renovate it, according to Reston Patch. The building is variously described by the supplied sources as approximately 17,000 to 17,300 square feet, according to LoopNet and the other reports. The LoopNet listing describes the property as an industrial building. Founding Farmers is eligible for a matching $375,000 conditional loan through Prince George's County's Economic Development Incentive Fund, and a separate $375,000 conditional loan through Maryland's Advantage Maryland program, the same report notes. Combined, that's $750,000 in public loans leveraged against roughly $8 million in private investment in the building's purchase and renovation. Moore said the expansion will help grow Maryland's economy and called it a sign of the state's efforts to attract and retain businesses, per the same account. Maryland Department of Commerce programs, including Advantage Maryland, supported an estimated 24,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs statewide in fiscal year 2025, helping create or retain 13,000 direct jobs across more than 830 business recipients, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce. Prince George's County's own Economic Development Incentive Fund has a $50 million funding level and references activity beginning in 2012, per the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation. The county source reports that the fund has helped create 8,185 jobs and stimulate at least $1.28 billion in capital. County council records list Bill CB-106-2026. Food service and accommodation remain among the county's core employment sectors. Farmers Restaurant Group co-founder Dan Simons said the company is thrilled to have its headquarters in District Heights, per WMAR-2 News. He said proximity to the Beltway is essential for the company's expansion plans, and that the area's employee base is strong and its long-term investment thesis is compelling, according to the station's reporting. Founding Farmers describes itself as a farmer-owned restaurant group, with American family farmers, including members of the North Dakota Farmers Union, holding a majority stake in the company. The group says American family farmers are among its owners. Farmers Restaurant Group sources ingredients from family farms. The flagship Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant is among the company's Mid-Atlantic locations. Founding Farmers now operates eight restaurant locations, along with a catering company and a distillery, and employs more than 1,400 people across the Mid-Atlantic. The company has locations in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Its Alexandria location at 461 Swann Avenue is the company's newest location, opened in March 2025, and features a grab-and-go bakery and cafe, while its spirits come from a D.C.-based distillery, according to the North Dakota Farmers Union. The company's regional operations span eight restaurants, a catering division, the Founding Spirits distillery, a bakery and coffee roasting operations. With the District Heights facility now fully operational, the company is centralizing portions of its administrative and production operations inside Prince George's County, backed by both state and county incentive dollars and farmer ownership.