Building Community + Cool Solutions at Plowbreak Farm
For twelve years, Aaron and his wife, Kara Cusolito, have tended the fields of Plowbreak Farm in upstate New York, growing organic vegetables for both their community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and local distributors. But for Aaron, farming is more than crops and soil—it’s about resilience, community, and making things work with what you have. “We’ve never been without cold storage or a CoolBot since we began farming,” Aaron says, emphasizing how essential it is for small farms to have accessible and affordable ways to keep produce fresh.
“You really can’t have a serious vegetable farm without some kind of cold storage, and CoolBot is such an affordable DIY way to do it.”
Aaron’s connection to CoolBot runs deep; he’s watched it grow from an idea into a powerful tool for farmers, both personally and professionally — as he worked for CoolBot in its early days. He learned about it firsthand from CoolBot’s founders, Ron and Kate Khosla, while working on their farm. “Ron always used to say (that) the idea of something being fixable on the farm is really important,” Aaron recalls.
“With CoolBot, you can solve issues with some tricks and tools right on the farm. It’s different from a traditional HVAC setup where you need a pro to come fix it.”
He even remembers taking calls (while working for CoolBot) from farmers in need, like one woman with a thousand pounds of lettuce and a failing cooler. “I could feel her urgency, and being able to help her meant a lot. CoolBot really brings that reassurance to small farmers.”
The Key to Diverse Crop Management
At Plowbreak, a single cooler would never be enough. The farm grows up to sixty different varieties of vegetables, each with its own storage needs. Leafy greens and root vegetables go into their largest cooler, kept between 38-40°F, while other crops like squash and sweet potatoes need different temperatures. For that, they use an auxiliary cooler to maintain temps up to 85°F for curing or around 50°F for squash.
One of Aaron’s coolest innovations is their third cooler—a retrofitted refrigerated shipping container. Originally equipped with a traditional HVAC system, Aaron reconfigured it with a single CoolBot unit. “We don’t want it super cold—just enough to store cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers.” By carefully organizing the space, they keep a temperature gradient, with the warmest spot by the door for tomatoes that ripen over a few days. “It’s a bit of a farm hack,” he laughs. “It lets us handle different crops in a way that would otherwise require multiple coolers.”
This DIY spirit extends to Plowbreak’s packing room, which Aaron and his team keep at a comfortable 50°F. “It’s great in the summer when we’re packing,” he explains. “Instead of moving produce in and out of the heat, where it sweats and deteriorates, we can keep it fresh and cool.”
Harvest, Partnership + Giving Back
The Plowbreak community extends far beyond their farm. Every summer, volunteers help harvest extra produce, some of which goes to a unique partnership with Friendship Donation, an organization that distributes food to local pantries and communities in need. Last season alone, they grew over 2,200 pounds of tomatoes for this purpose. “It’s a great way to give back,” Aaron says. And with CoolBot, small-scale donation centers have an option for affordable cold storage, making fresh food access easier even for locations without extensive infrastructure.
“Coolbot is a great tool for these small pantries,” says Aaron. “A lot of (food pantries) are just people offering out of their backyard or a church with little infrastructure, but (with CoolBot) you … just need a small insulated room to store donations that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise.”
Aaron’s story exemplifies how small-scale farmers and their tools can transform a community. From DIY coolers to community partnerships, Plowbreak Farm shows that ingenuity and a little help from CoolBot can make a big difference.