Meet Garry and Susan Shaw!
Garry and Susan married on August 25, 1984. At that time, Garry was the General Manager of a large truck dealership in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1990, he decided to leave corporate America, move back to Georgia, and buy a restaurant. Garry and Susan have been self-employed since that time.
He has always loved the farm and was committed to caring for Susan’s grandmother and the farm. After the passing of Susan’s grandfather in 1997, they purchased the farm from Susan’s grandmother and took care of her until her passing in 2001. In 2009, they broke ground for their first market garden, and Hickory Hill Farm was born.
Hickory Hill is Susan’s family farm. She was born and raised in the same home her great-grandfather built in 1912. The opportunity to return to the farm was a true blessing for Susan and Garry to raise their daughters in the same place where Susan grew up.
Their first garden for the market was less than an acre, and as Susan would say, it took some time to get their minds around how much to grow for the Market. It helped that, during the first year of growing, they joined a tomato co-op and grew two acres of grape tomatoes for Whole Foods. That was a big learning curve because grape tomatoes are small and labor-intensive. “It has been a lot of work but worth every minute of it; it’s a lifestyle, and we love it,” says Susan.
Meet Josh and Jennifer Johns!
Josh joined the Shaw family in 2011 when he married Garry and Susan’s youngest daughter, Jennifer.
In 2015, before graduating from the University of Georgia, Josh became an owner/partner/farmer at Hickory Hill Farms. He spent his last semester working at the U-Garden and taking organic farming courses while finishing up his degree work in geology.
Josh has made it possible to grow the farm exponentially and bring it to the level it is today. When he joined as an owner/farmer at Hickory Hill, there were approximately six acres under production. Today, 12.25 acres are producing incredibly delicious fruits and vegetables. He is an amazing asset to the farm!
Jennifer was nine years old when Garry and Susan moved to the farm.
She has always been quite the entrepreneur. At a very young age, she started working in her parent’s restaurant, proving her abilities and strong points.
Jennifer graduated from the University of Georgia with a teaching degree. She taught math to fifth graders at Oglethorpe County Elementary School before the birth of her first child. She is now a stay-at-home mom, homeschool teacher of three, and helper to Susan with bookkeeping and record-keeping for the farm’s finances and USDA certification records.
Meet the Future of Hickory Hill Farm!
Madelyn is Josh and Jennifer’s oldest child. She is a hard worker like her mom. She loves to harvest, but most of all, she loves to pick out vegetables to take home and cook!
Levi is their middle child. Levi loves to work beside his dad. He is very studious and smart, and determined to learn what to do and how to do it. His favorite thing to do is drive the tractor!
Matthew is the little one! He has a huge personality. He loves to sing and walk through mud puddles.
Josh and Jennifer are dedicated to their faith, family, and farming. They are committed to recovering a way of life for their children that teaches them to be sustainable and productive members of society. They believe that a strong faith, hard work and a commitment to do others good will serve their family well.