The brochure photoshoot was so much fun this year, especially with family and the tractor. Before we get into farm history and storytelling, I must say how grateful we are for your continued support of the farm. Without your support, I would have to go out and find a real job! Seriously, we are so blessed to have great folks like yourselves supporting LCF as you continue to trust us to make amazing products. Ok, enough with the sappy stuff. Let’s talk about the farm history and maybe a couple of stories that, of course, are true!

Lynch Creek Farm was first established back in 1980 on a small plot of land on Lynch Road in Shelton, Washington. The Lynch name comes from early Irish immigrants in the area. Members of my family have lived on Lynch Road since 1947. At the back of that property was a year-round stream called Lynch Creek winding its way through the tall cedar trees to Upper Lynch Cove, which is attached to an inlet known for amazing shellfish. When our family began selling organic veggies, a few flowers, and wreaths at our local farmers’ market in the 80s, our little farm needed a name, and Lynch Creek Farm was born. It was very much a hobby farm then, and I still think of it as exactly that…a small family farm. Of course, it wasn’t all roses as a kid, as I remember getting yanked out of bed by my dad on Saturday mornings to pick chard for the local market. Chard is cold and wet in the mornings…and I hated chard. I hated picking it, and I hated eating it. We picked all of the veggies each Saturday, including carrots, beets, spinach, onions, and beans, but I mostly remember the CHARD! I often tell the story of falling asleep in the cauliflower patch as a kid. I must say those big leaves made for a comfy bed. Just to think, all these years later, I chose this path for my life’s work. Yet… I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

We’ve grown and expanded a bit since those early days. My family lives just across the road from the original farm where we now maintain a big, beautiful 3-acre dahlia farm on Lynch Road. It has become a fun summer destination for folks living in the Puget Sound area. Our U-Pick dahlia field is open every day in the summer for visitors to stop by and cut their own flowers or choose from pre-made bouquets we’ve created. You will find me and my girls out in the summer mornings almost every day, picking flowers and making bouquets. I tell them it’s a great way to start the day…but I don’t think they agree with me. But I really value those special days with them while they are still at home with us. It’s seriously worth visiting the field if you are ever in the Shelton, Washington area. You will get to walk through over 14,000 dahlias and a ton of sunflowers, make a bouquet, and take beautiful photos. My brother and daughter Georgia were busy building a new dahlia shack this past summer to help facilitate the U-Pick business. My brother, known as “Uncle Jimmy,” and Georgia were quite the pair with their tool belts on as he taught her carpentry skills. It was very cute, and I was a proud dad watching each day's progress.

These days, it seems as though we are always preparing for our “wreath season.” That’s what we call the busy winter season, where it’s all hands on deck for all who hand-make, decorate, and ship our fresh evergreen products all over the country. We have the best crew in the world who are pros at what they do. Last year, we attempted to automate the wreath shipping process with machines, robots, and conveyors. Let’s just say the robots rebelled, the conveyors were lazy, and chaos ensued. It’s a work in progress, and I still have hope, so I’ll keep you posted if the robots decide to play nice!

You might be surprised to know that Lynch Creek Farm has three locations. We have the dahlia farm I mentioned on Lynch Rd, which is open during the summer. Then there’s our wreath facility in Shelton, where we took over a retired saw mill and turned it into a major evergreen producing facility in 2016. The third and newest location is our centerpiece facility in Elma, Washington, which is the largest building in the area with 250,000 square feet under one roof. All of this for our little farm. To say the farm has grown might be an understatement. The hobby farm has grown up a bit, and thank goodness we don’t grow chard any longer. We certainly love making our evergreen products and growing dahlias.

Holy smokes, I’m out of room, and it’s time to wrap it up! I hope you’re ready to shop our beautiful website. We put a great deal of time and attention into designing items in a wide range of styles, so there really is something for everyone. We look forward to providing you with amazing products and great customer service. Our Hunter ‘farm family’ includes a skilled and dedicated staff that helps us stay true to our mission of handcrafting the highest quality evergreen products available anywhere. Our wreaths, centerpieces, garlands, and tabletop trees are assembled from fresh boughs that come locally from the foothills of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains here in Washington State, and our decorations and gorgeous bows are of the highest quality in the industry.

We are so honored to be part of your gift-giving tradition over the years. It means a great deal to us to be part of your holidays. From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and New Year.

- Andy Hunter, Owner, Chief Bouquet Maker, Weed Puller, Pickleball (wannabe) Champion, and proud Coug Dad (Go WSU Cougs!) "