Jake Schmidt

Eleven-year-old Jake Schmidt of Healdsburg is a typical fifth grader at Cali Calmecac Language Academy in Windsor. 

 He’s a good student and is involved in activities outside of school.  One thing that sets Jake apart from other kids his age is the fact that he is a budding entrepreneur.

A year ago, Jake’s teacher was talking about raising chickens and the benefits of having home-grown eggs.  The thought of raising chickens enticed Jake and he couldn’t get the idea out of his head.  Somehow, he managed to convince his parents to buy him a few chicks and see how it went.  

Today, Jake has 13 chickens that he takes care of and manages every day.  He gives them food and water every morning, then counts them in the coop at night and collects the eggs.  Jake takes the eggs and delivers them to friends and neighbors who pay the bargain price of $2 per dozen eggs.

“I thought the price of $2 sounded like a good deal,” says Jake of his egg pricing, which is more than half the price of cage-free organic eggs in the grocery store.  He has regular customers who help provide him with empty egg cartons to keep his egg business going. 

 Jake’s business philosophy is simple; love your product, and they’ll love you back.  Fondly, Jake describes the different personalities of each chicken.  He tells about the time a bobcat snuck into the yard and attempted to capture a couple chickens, but was relieved to find that they had fought back and escaped from danger.

Jake’s sense of responsibility is unwavering, and he dreams of becoming president, or maybe a CEO someday.

Jake, we at Patch (and your chickens) are so proud to have you here in Healdsburg!

Please! Send us some great kids to write about!  If you know of a kid who is egg-ceptional, e-mail a quick note to rikagemmell@gmail.com and we might just feature him or her on our weekly Whiz Kids column.